It Started With A Picture
by peyton4life
Summary: Free agent Finn Hudson has his sights set on one team: the New York Jets. The team who had his best friend as Quarterback. The team that was closest in location to his family. And it certainly didn't count against them that they were also the team who, hands down, had the hottest cheerleader. AU Future Finchel
1. Deciding Factors

Finn looked out the window of the limo watching as the scenery whizzed by, tuning out the other occupant of the vehicle as she talked on her cell phone. His mind was thinking back over the events of the past week, not noticing that she had hung up until she spoke.

"Ok Lurch, listen up," Santana directed from the seat across from him in the limo. "When we get there, you smile, you shake hands, be your normal goofy ass self but you _**don't **_say a word until I've reviewed the contract. We've got Schuester and Ryerson right where we want them; don't screw this up by saying something idiotic like 'gee I didn't really need that bonus, coach, I'd play anyway.'"

Finn glanced at his agent and nodded while he continued to drum his fingers against his knees. He'd been pursued by a few teams since free agency started, but one team had been on his mind from the beginning.

The New York Jets.

The team who made it to the playoffs last season and got eliminated in the second round. The team who had his best friend, Noah Puckerman, as Quarterback. The team that was closest in location to his family. And it certainly didn't count against them that they were also the team who, hands down, had the hottest cheerleader.

He smiled at the thought of her, not even realizing he was doing so until he felt a sharp kick to his shins, which caused his smile to turn to a glare. "What the hell, Santana?"

"You had that dumb ass grin on again; the one you get when you really like something or when you're thinking too hard." She shook her head at him. "One last thing. Just try and watch where you're going today: I don't want Schuester wondering if you'll run into players rather than around them when you play, got it? Remember: You walk _through _doors not into them, Mr. Smooth."

His felt the blush creeping up his neck at her words but was determined not to show her. "Yeah, I got it," he said nonchalantly.

"The only thing you got was hard from the sight of those cheerleaders," Santana snapped as she opened her make-up compact. "Keep it in your pants."

The blush suffusing his face grew deeper as he tried to think of a retort. "You keep it in yours. I saw you checking out one of them."

Santana snapped the compact closed with one hand as she stared at Finn. "Clever comeback, Tubs. I know it's been a while since you've seen what's in a woman's pants, but we've got nothing to keep in."

"Shut up," he grumbled. "Remind me why I don't fire you?"

"Because I'm good," she replied airily. "Now getting back to the matter at hand. Don't let them see that you want to be here, that's it's been the only place you've wanted to be since free agency started and are willing to take a pay cut to make it happen. Sandy gets a sense of that and he'll get more excited than when there's a sale at Sheets n Things."

"I told you, I got it," he replied tersely. His mind however, drifted back to the other day when he'd actually seen her.

_A warm summer breeze stirred the air as Finn stepped out of the limo, sunglasses covering his eyes as he scanned the outside of the stadium. He stretched, more than ready to get inside and actually look around. Anxious, he began walking to the doors, ignoring the sounds of protest coming from the limo.  
_

_"Finn!"_

_Hearing his name called again, he turned back with a sigh and jogged back to the limo. "Sorry Santana."_

_"This is why you haven't seen the inside of a girl's pants in so long," she snapped, waiting for him to help her out._

_He sighed, wondering again why he didn't just fire her and get a new agent. He'd just held out his hand for her to take when he heard a melodic burst of laughter from behind him. His head lifted as he turned around to see who was laughing and immediately spotted a brunette in a little white dress laughing at something her blonde companion said. He barely noticed the blonde as he studied the brunette, swiftly giving her the once over from the top of her ponytail to the wedge sandals that made her legs look fantastic. She had an air of familiarity about her, but he couldn't figure it out. Forgetting all about Santana, he stepped towards them, trying to reach the door before they did so he could see her face. He was stopped in his tracks as he felt Santana tug on his arm._

_"Jesus, Finn where's the freaking fire?" she snapped as she reached him. "Try not to appear overly anxious; you have to let them think you're not interested."_

_"Uh huh," he replied absentmindedly while he turned to try and find the brunette again. Unfortunately, she was already gone._

_"Now, you remember just play it cool and I'll do the talking ok?" Santana briskly walked towards the stadium doors, yanking them open and giving a smile to the guard waiting for them. "Santana Lopez and Finn Hudson for Coach Schuester and Mr. Ryerson."_

_They stood and waited for a moment, eventually hearing the sounds of a conversation moving closer to them._

_"I just don't know about offering someone that much money William. We're already paying Puckerman-"_

_"Sandy, you have to trust me on this."_

_"Excellent," Santana purred as the conversation reached her ears. "Will really wants you. This is going to be cake."_

_"But Sandy just said he wasn't sure," Finn whispered back just as a short stocky man wearing a sweater tied around his shoulders and a tall man with curly hair turned the corner and headed their way._

_"Can it, Manboobs," she hissed, pasting a phony smile on her face._

_"Finn!" the tall man exclaimed, offering his hand to Finn._

_"Coach Shuester," Finn replied, shaking his hand. "You remember my agent."_

_Will nodded. "Nice to see you again. Miss Lopez," he said with a nod in her direction. He turned his attention back to Finn. "And may I introduce our owner, Sandy Ryerson."_

_Sandy gasped and pushed past Will to get to Finn, mumbling, "pay him whatever," as he grabbed Finn's arm. "Why don't I, I mean, we get started?"_

_Finn let himself be pulled down the concourse, tuning Sandy out as he walked and tried to get a sense of the facilities. They wound their way down to the lower level, Sandy pointing out stuff that would never pertain to him, such as the various types of food offered at the stadium on game day, but he figured he could pass that information onto his mother and Burt._

_"We currently offer a turkey chili that's to die for," Sandy boasted as he pointed out a nearby concession stand. He eyed Finn. "Of course you look more like a meat and potatoes guy."_

_"Yeah, but um, my brother might like the turkey chili," Finn offered lamely, glancing uncomfortably between the grip Sandy had on his arm and Santana. His agent made a face that he knew meant let Sandy do what he wants and he sighed, listening as Sandy began pointing out the men's rooms, which again, he'd never be using since he'd be on the field._

_Fortunately, Will soon took over, showing Finn the locker room and the weight room for players. They were just discussing Finn's exercise routine when he suddenly heard the strains of AC/DC coming from down the hall._

_"What's that?"_

_Sandy, who'd been listing all the food kiosks to Santana, paused. "What's what?"_

_"That music? I love AC/DC," Finn replied, glancing around and trying to find the source of the music._

_Sandy waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, that's probably the Flight Crew practicing. Now if I could just draw your attention to this men's room, you'll see that we've-"_

_"I love this song," Finn commented, taking a step towards the door._

_"Well then, let's take a look shall we? Maybe this could be your touchdown song!" Sandy trilled as he grabbed Finn's arm and led him down the hall. He paused in front of a wall of glass, behind which a group of women were dancing. "This is our state of the art rehearsal room for the Flight Crew."_

_Humming along with the classic "You Shook Me All Night Long", Finn stepped closer to the glass wall and peered inside, his breath catching as his gaze fell upon the brunette he'd noticed outside. **Now **he knew why she looked familiar._

_She was Miss December._

_The same Miss December from the 2011 annual Flight Crew Calendar and the owner of the face that had been in his dreams since Puck had sent him a copy, telling Finn that the girls were hotter in New York than Cincinnati._

_Mesmerized, he continued staring, completely forgetting about Will, Sandy and Santana as he watched her dance. Her gaze lifted while she was performing and met his, allowing him to see the deep brown eyes that so often stared at him in his dreams. Their eyes locked and he took a step forward, not realizing how close he already was to the glass wall until he walked straight into it._

_His head snapping back in pain combined with the loud thud caused Santana to rush to his side. "Jesus Finn, wipe up some of that drool and quit fucking staring," she bossed even though she herself was staring at a perky blonde._

_"Shut up; nobody noticed," Finn hissed, absolutely mortified._

_However, a woman in a tracksuit paused the music and picked up her megaphone._

_"Schuester!" she barked. "What is the meaning of this? While you may think practice is a joke, I can assure you I don't."_

_"Sue, this is our new star, Finn Hudson," Sandy announced, once again placing a hand on Finn's arm. "We're giving him the tour."_

_Finn squirmed as Sue appraised him, his eyes drifting past her to where the Flight Crew was standing, waiting to resume practice. While other girls were talking quietly among themselves, Miss December was standing alone, her brown eyes trained on him. He offered her a tentative smile, relieved when she shot one back._

_"New star, huh?" Sue questioned. "Looks like I'm the first to get your autograph." She gestured to the glass wall where the impact of Finn's face hitting the glass had left a large smudge on the otherwise immaculate glass. Finn immediately blushed, too mortified to look at Miss December again. Still glaring at him, Sue lifted her bullhorn to her lips. "Schuester! Get some windex and use that rag on your head to clean this now!"_

_"No can do Sylvester," Will chirped, tossing one of Sue's trademark phrases back at her. "Like Sandy said, we're in the middle of the tour. Guess you'll just have to clean it yourself." He walked up to Finn and clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Come on Finn, let me show you the field."_

_Finn let himself be led away, risking one last glance back at Miss December, spotting her talking to two blondes as she laughed. He turned away as he flushed, assuming they were making fun of him. He tried to push her out of his mind as he finished the tour, winding up where they began._

_"Well, we appreciate that tour, Mr. Ryerson, Coach Schuester," Santana said crisply as she offered her hand to shake. She turned her attention to Sandy as she continued. "We'll be in touch."_

_Finn shook hands with both men and followed Santana out the door. He waited until they were back in the limo before speaking to her._

_"This is it Santana," he told her firmly. "This is where I want to play."_

_"I figured that one out after you walked into the wall," she said dryly as she rolled her eyes. "Let me see what we can get out of them before we commit, ok?"_

_"Just make it work," he insisted._

And that was how he wound up here, one week later, back at Metlife Stadium ready to sign his contract. He stepped out of the limo, offering a hand to Santana to assist her.

She climbed out and eyed him critically before reaching over and unbuttoning one more button on his pale blue shirt. "I know you have like two chest hairs total, but can you pull one of them into view?"

"Whoa. What are you doing?" Finn demanded, reaching up to button the shirt again. "Do I even want to know why you're asking about my chest hair?"

"Just a little reminder to Sandy. Might just distract him into doling out an extra bonus now," she told him seriously. "God knows Puck in jeans did nothing for him. Maybe I should have let him sign shirtless like he wanted."

"I doubt that Santana," he replied, wiping his damp palms on the thighs of his black dress pants. "Wait- you let Puck sign in jeans? I'm over dressed then," he stressed.

"Puckerman was signing as a draftee. There wasn't too much I could negotiate for him," Santana reminded him. "You on the other hand, are coming in as a pursued free agent."

"Are you sure I'm not overdressed? Kurt picked it out," he blurted out, not willing to say he'd actually asked Kurt for help in case he saw Miss December again.

"You're fine. Trust me Lurch, I know what I'm doing." She spun on her heel and began to walk away. "Don't just stand there, let's go," she said sharply, annoyed at how flustered he was acting.

"Sorry," he replied, rushing to catch up to her. "I just really want to sign."

"Don't talk," she snapped as she walked into the building ahead of him, the door almost slapping him in the face as she pulled it back.

Finn followed her into the building, glad she had been paying attention on their tour as she led them straight to Sandy's office. She ignored the secretary outside his office as she knocked briskly on the door, waiting to gain entrance with Finn standing dumbly behind her. She had barely finished knocking when the door swung open.

"Ms. Lopez," Sandy nodded at her. "And Mr. Hudson," he said with a grin, his eyes lingering on the column of Finn's exposed throat as he ushered Santana and Finn into the conference room.

Finn followed Santana into the room, sitting to her immediate left. He nodded at the two men in the room, Coach Schuester and Jesse St. James, the attorney for the organization. Sandy rushed around the table to take the spot directly across from Finn, smiling as he sat down.

"We're so glad you decided to sign with us, Finn," Sandy preened. "Can I get you anything, I mean _anything _at all before we begin?"

"Uh," Finn stammered as he again rubbed his palms on his legs. "A water I guess?"

Sandy jumped up, not offering anything to anyone else and quickly strode to the mini fridge to get a water bottle. He handed it to Finn and sat back down.

"If we can get started?" Jesse asked the room at large, proceeding when he received nods from around the room. He slid a stack of papers across the table towards Finn, pointing to the spots on the paper marked with an X. "Just sign here and initial there."

"Hold on Curly Sue," Santana cut in. "I want to read it again; make sure the terms are clear." She pulled the papers towards her, a frown marring her face as she read. She looked up at Jesse and spit out, "What is _this_?"

"It's Mr. Hudson's contract," Jesse pointed out smoothly. "All the standard conditions are there."

Santana flipped through the pages once more, this time looking at Sandy when she finished. "Where are the bonuses we discussed? I only see the joke of a signing bonus."

"Well," Sandy began calmly as he drummed his fingers together in front of his face. "Some of it seemed a bit steep."

"And only four guaranteed starts? Are you kidding me?" she asked, looking at Will now.

"That's based on his time in Cincinnati," Will pointed out.

"I think what my clients are trying to say is that he didn't start out last season as a starter. We're unaware of how he'll perform over a full year as a starter," Jesse explained. "Sandy doesn't feel comfortable paying him that much when he's unproven."

"This is ridiculous," she proclaimed as she pushed the papers back across the table.

"It's a standard contract," Jesse insisted. "The same he would have gotten in Cincinnati."

"Same as Cincinnati?" Santana parroted snidely. "Then our work here is done," she decreed. "Come on Hudson-I've heard better spiels from the used car salesman who's still convinced the Winnebago's making a comeback." She pushed her chair back from the table and stood, waiting for Finn to do the same.

He stood awkwardly, his head down as he followed Santana towards the door. His mind was whirling over the last few minutes, hardly believing the direction negotiations had taken.

"Wait-" Sandy called out as he stood up and rushed around the table. Finn reached for the door, prepared to open it for Santana to storm through but before he could the door flew open, almost hitting him as a blur of nylon stormed past him.

"Wait indeed," Sue announced as she stopped in front of Sandy. "A little birdie told me that my pompom budget was getting cut, Ryerson."

"Sue, we'll discuss this later," Sandy told her. "We're in the middle of a very important contract signing."

She looked around the room, seemingly noticing the other occupants of the room for the first time. Her eyes fell on Finn still standing near the door. "Signing the guy that walks into walls? Sure fire way to get some wins, Schuester. That's about as brilliant a move as that mullet you were sporting in the 90's."

"Why are you here?" Will demanded, ignoring her insult. "We're busy now."

"I told you. Rumor has it my pompom budget is getting slashed and I simply can't have my girls using synthetic pompoms that contain more grease than your hair." She stalked around the table. "I'll just sit right here."

The entire group watched dumbfounded as she took Sandy's seat and pulled out her glasses, picking up the contract to rifle through.

"Sue!" Will cried, horrified. "You can't sit in on this-you have nothing to do with _**my **_team."

"Nothing to do with it? If I had feelings, I'd be insulted," Sue scoffed as she threw the contract at Will. "My pompom budget was cut by $4,000 for _this_," she jerked her thumb towards Finn. "Lump of cottage cheese's signing bonus."

"Sue, enough," Sandy said, clearly appalled. "Mr. Hudson is not a lump of anything." He looked at Finn in apology. "Please, sit down and let's see if we can't come to an agreement."

Finn looked at Santana, his eyes pleading with hers. She heaved a disgusted sigh and walked back towards the table.

"I'm assuming you've already deducted the cost of replacing that glass wall?" Sue asked Sandy. "I can still see where Tubs smashed his ugly mug."

"Sue!" Will shouted as he ran his hands through his hair. "Enough! Just let Miss Lopez talk."

"Thank you Coach," Santana said, ignoring the other woman in the room. She grabbed the contract and began going line by line. "Signing bonus is fine but let's see if we can't come to an agreement about what my client should get for a minimum of 50 catches."

"Now wait one minute Juggs," Sue exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table. "You think Herman Munster over there deserves a bonus for catching a ball?" She turned to Sandy and continued her tirade. "I'm _appalled_ that my girls have to suffer so he can afford to buy more shirts that make him look like John Travolta in _Saturday Night Fever_."

"Ten thousand," Sandy shot out, ignoring Sue.

"Fifteen," Santana countered, ignoring Finn's pinch to her leg.

"Thirteen," Jesse said, holding out his hand to stop Sandy from speaking.

"Thirteen five," Santana negotiated coolly.

"Done," Sandy blurted out. "Make the change," he hissed at Jesse who noted the change with a shake of his head.

"Anything else Miss Lopez?" Jesse asked as he looked across the table.

"As a matter of fact-" she began only to be interrupted by Sue.

"Speed it up Boobs McGee, I've got a press conference in twenty and I can't leave here until I know my budget has been fully restored." She turned to Sandy. "Plus I want a fog machine."

"You can't have a fog machine on the field!" Will cried.

Sue gave him a bored look before turning back to Sandy. "I'll expect it to arrive next week so we can begin practicing with it."

"Hey aging Madonna wanna be," Santana said sweetly. "If you'd shut up and let me finish you'd be back for your little local _press conference_," she continued coolly once she had Sue's attention. "With plenty of time to spare. You'd even have time to get a haircut from this decade."

"Watch it Juggs," Sue threatened, leaning forward on the table. "I'll take you down faster than it takes the room to clear at the Christmas party when Sandy starts singing his medley of Abba's greatest hits."

Not intimidated, Santana crossed her arms and stared at Sue. "Look you-"

"Can I have a minute?" Finn asked the room, finally bringing the focus back to him. "Just me and Santana," he clarified.

"Sure," Will replied, looking around the room and seeing nods from everyone but Sue.

"I'm not moving," Sue announced, lifting her track suit encased legs and crossing them on the table before she pulled her glasses off. "He probably wants to talk about the Flight Crew clause."

"The Flight Crew clause?" Finn repeated nervously.

"Yes, the clause that states that you will not associate with my crew in any way, shape or form," she said as she linked her hands behind her head. "Can't have that stench of loser that's always wafting from Schuester's locker room get within sniffing distance of my girls. You so much as _breathe _near my Flight Crew and I'm allowed to pistol whip you."

"_**Sue**_," Will interjected, a warning evident in his tone. He turned to Finn. "You can talk to the Flight Crew Finn," he explained. "We just have a no dating policy in place."

Finn nodded as he processed the information then turned to face Sue. "That's not what I want to talk about."

"Fine," Sue said as she swung her legs back to the ground. "You have five minutes."

"Take as long as you need," Will corrected as he led everyone from the room.

Finn waited until the door closed before turning to Santana. "I _told_ you not to turn this into a circus. I just want to sign."

"And you will," Santana predicted. "As soon as they do what I want."

"Who cares how many starts I'm guaranteed? This is the only place I'll even consider playing," Finn retorted.

"Which is exactly why you need me to represent your dumb ass. I want to rework one more clause then I'll let you sign," she said as she patted his arm. "If they go for it, you sign."

"I'm signing even if they don't," he warned her as he stood, striding over to the door to open it. "Uh, we're good. You can come back now." He went and sat down as the others filed back in.

"Are you ready to sign now?" Jesse asked. "I reprinted those clauses we changed."

"Just one more thing," Santana replied. "Twenty thousand if he gets picked for the Pro Bowl."

Sandy worried his top lip between his teeth as he looked to Will. When Will nodded slowly, Sandy gave his answer. "Absolutely."

"Is that it?" Jesse asked Santana. He watched her nod and stood back up. "I'll reprint that, go ahead and look over the rest."

"I am appalled by this," Sue declared. "Simply _appalled_. This is worse than the time I was forced to witness Sandy's one man show of _Cabaret._"

"It's not your team Sue," Will commented tiredly.

"That's right-my Flight Crew actually wins awards in this league unlike yours," she sneered. "Maybe you should try spending less time fixing your hair and more time making plays that work."

Jesse reentered the room quickly and reclaimed his seat, causing the room to quiet as he slipped the contract across the table again. "Just sign where the X's are," he explained again.

"Hold on there, Hudson," Santana said as she placed a hand on her hand on his arm preventing him from signing.

Finn paused and looked at her, pen still poised in his hand. "What?"

She looked over a clause and nodded. "Just making sure everything was changed, including the number of starts," she said with a smile as she noticed the number had increased.

"We good?" he muttered under his breath.

"Go ahead and sign it," she told him calmly.

Finn placed the pen over the paper, aware that four sets of eyes were on him as he signed his name, officially becoming a New York Jet. He pushed the papers back to Jesse as Sandy clapped in delight and Will offered his hand.

"Welcome to the team son," Will said with a grin.

"Thanks Coach," Finn smiled as he shook the other man's hand.

"This love fest over Herman here makes me want to hurl more than the sight of your hair William," Sue announced as she stood. She fixed Finn with a glare, pointing between her eyes and him. "I'll be watching you. You better hope my budget gets restored or I'm gonna be on you like a cheap suit."

Finn gulped, wondering what he'd done to piss her off so much. He couldn't hate her though, since he supposed she had been the one to hire Miss December.

"Walk with me Ryerson," Sue commanded as she strode from the room, certain he'd follow.

Finn looked to Santana who was shaking hands with Will and Jesse. He repeated her gesture, telling Will that he looked forward to working with him. He followed Santana to the door and out down the hallway, waiting until they were almost exiting the stadium to speak.

"Ok, you're a kick ass agent," Finn admitted as they walked to the limo.

"I know," she said on a laugh. "Stick with me Hudson, I won't steer you wrong."

"You just care about your commission," he teased.

"Doesn't hurt," she quipped as the driver opened the door for her. She slipped inside and settled in, prepared to gloat more on the way to the office.

Finn paused outside the door, turning back to look at the stadium he'd now call home. A car door closing shook him out of his thoughts and he turned to see who else was there. His eyes fell on a bright red Fiat in the lot, and drew a sharp breath when he saw the person walking away from it.

Miss December.

He smiled as he looked at her, reluctantly climbing in the car as Santana snapped out his name. He kept his gaze on Miss December through the limo window until she entered the stadium.

Ignoring Sue's warnings about the Flight Crew, his mind set to work plotting possible ways to meet her. He just wanted to talk to her, to see if her voice was as sexy as he thought it would be. Maybe he could ask her what lip balm she used to make her lips so smooth, since his were always so chapped. And of course, he'd probably have to feel for himself how soft the lip balm made her lips.

His eyes closed at the thought, a small smile on his face.

"You grinning like a fool at the awesomeness the Jets offered you?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, something like that." He closed his eyes again, wondering if Santana could've negotiated it so that Miss December could be his personal cheerleader. With her cheering him on, there'd be no questions about his ability to start an entire season.

He guaranteed it.

* * *

**A/N: Kicking off a new fic just in time for the Jets opening day! Thanks for the read and please feel free to review :)**

**I have to say thanks a million to mida212 who has dealt with almost daily emails and messages on twitter about this fic since April-yikes! If you laughed, it's because of her :)**


	2. Practice Pays Off

Finn got to the stadium early for his first practice session as a Jet, anxious to get back out on a field and begin to work. He entered the locker room to change and store his clothes before jogging out onto the field. Once there, he saw cones set out for various drills at one end of the field and defensive equipment set out at the other. He felt the familiar rush of adrenaline at getting to play and started to walk to the end of the field when he realized he wasn't alone.

The Flight Crew was gathered on the opposing sideline listening as Coach Sylvester yelled directions at them into her bullhorn. Finn tried to discreetly continue his walk while his eyes scanned the Crew in an attempt to find her.

"You think this is hard? Try being the only person told to wear a one piece at a bikini car wash. That's hard!" Sue barked into her bullhorn.

With a wince for Sue's harsh criticisms, Finn finally reached the end zone and began striking up a conversation with the team's offensive coordinator, Artie.

"Hey man," Finn said with a nod as he began doing some simple stretches, trying to discreetly keep one eye on the Crew.

"Hi Finn," Artie replied as he looked up from the clipboard in his lap. "You ready to start training to be on a winning team?"

"Hell yeah!" His gaze wandered again to the Crew, who was still being belittled by Sue. "So, uh the Crew practices at the same time as us?" he asked, trying to be subtle in his attempt to gain information.

"Sometimes." Artie shrugged. "Will isn't thrilled that they do that since he doesn't want any distractions during drills, but I didn't think it would be a big deal since it's just you and me out here today. You don't mind do you? "

"Nope," he replied, definitely _not_ annoyed by the presence of the Flight Crew.

"Good." Artie let out a breath, clearly relieved. "Sometimes it's just easier to let Sue do what she wants, you know?"

"Got it," Finn muttered as he looked over at the Crew, all of whom were busy watching a tall blonde run through a complicated series of steps. His eyes fell on Miss December and he couldn't help but admire the way the little crop top and tiny shorts accentuated her body. "I guess I didn't realize they practiced on the field; they don't in Cinci," he said referring to his old team.

"Well Sue's nuts about making sure her girls practice where they perform or something," Artie explained with an eyeroll. "She's insane."

Finn nodded absently in agreement, his eyes still watching Miss December until she disappeared from his view, her tiny body swallowed by the other dancers. He stared, his eyes straining for any glimpse of her, but it appeared she was at the front of the formation, making him unable to see anything other than her pink sneakers. He wondered if her being in front meant she was a really good dancer, something he was decidedly not.

"Alright, ready to get to work?"

Artie's words snapped him back to reality and Finn soon found himself focused more on what his feet and hands were doing than on what she might be doing on the other side of the field.

The practice went for hours before Artie blew his whistle, signaling for Finn to stop. "Alright, that was a good start. It's about quarter to one; you wanna grab something from the cafeteria?"

"Sure," he replied easily. To his extreme disappointment, the Flight Crew had gone inside about forty-five minutes ago and not returned. Artie had taken full advantage of their departure, outlining some routes for Finn before running him all over the field to practice them.

"Cool. Did Sandy show you where the cafeteria is when he gave his famous tour?"

Finn laughed as he followed Artie off the field, wiping his face on his shirt. "No, but I did get to see all the food stands."

"That sounds about right." Artie laughed. "When I got hired, he gave me a tour of the all the recently renovated women's bathrooms. Follow me, I'll show you where it is."

"Sounds good." Finn walked along with Artie towards the cafeteria, the drills he'd just run forgotten as they passed the empty studio where the Crew usually practiced.

"They're done practicing already?" Finn asked casually while jerking his head towards the door.

"No," Artie replied. "They're probably at lunch." He wheeled along, switching the subject back to the practice. "You were really moving out there. You memorizing the playbook already?"

"I've been looking at it before bed," Finn replied absently as they made their way down the hall. Unable to resist, he switched subjects. "So does everyone eat here too?"

"Well most of the players aren't around yet, but yeah, they usually do."

"Oh right. What about everyone else, like the um…locker room guys or uh the Flight Crew? Or um is that too distracting too?" he asked, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

"They eat here too, or they do most of the time." Artie looked up at him clearly puzzled by his fascination. "Well the Flight Crew does, not sure about the locker room attendants."

"Oh, I was just curious," Finn said as they reached the door. His heart was beating just a bit quicker at the thought of getting to see her and he pulled back the door to the cafeteria, gesturing to Artie to go ahead.

Artie rolled in and headed straight for the food line, but before Finn could follow a group of women headed towards the door. Automatically, he held it open as they approached to pass through, not paying close attention to them as he was anxious to get inside to see if he could spot her.

"Thanks," a soft voice said before walking away. His eyes were busy trying to scope out the cafeteria, so he just nodded in response before he looked down at her retreating form. Three women had exited, but the words had been spoken not by either blonde but the brunette trailing just behind them. His mouth dropped open slightly as he realized that he'd just let Miss December walk out without saying anything. He entered the cafeteria and looked for a clock before joining Artie on line for food.

He'd get there earlier tomorrow and see her then he rationalized to himself as he noted the time. He just had to make sure he got out of the weight room by noon since apparently the crew lunched from 12-1. Satisfied with his plan, he focused back on Artie and getting through the rest of the day, since tomorrow would be the day he'd talk to her, he was sure.

* * *

Tuesday morning, Finn found himself in the weight room, working one on one with the team trainer, a large woman named Shannon Beiste who could easily kick his ass and insisted on being called by her last name. Obediently, Finn went through every exercise Beiste threw at him, going through the motions while his mind tried to come up with various ways to start a conversation with Miss December.

"Hey there," he muttered to himself. "How are you today?" he tried as he lifted the weight. "Come here often?" He frowned at that, wondering if that was too cheesy or worse, _Puckish_.

"I'm fine Hudson, thanks," Beiste quipped. "But I'd be better if you'd stop talking to yourself and start lifting another 50 pounds."

Finn felt the familiar tingle of a blush work up his neck as Beiste laughed. "Sorry," Finn said casually as Beiste added another weight. "Just got an important meeting later."

"Yeah? You gonna be repping a product or starting a charity?" Beiste asked as she spotted Finn.

"No," he grunted under the added weight. He placed the bar back on the stand and sat up, staring around the large weight room. "This is a pretty nice gym you got here."

"Yeah, Mr. Ryerson always makes sure we have the top equipment," Beiste replied, writing something down on her clipboard. "I need to see how you do with the leg lunges."

He nodded, heading over to the open space she pointed to. Beiste handed him some free weights and he immediately got to work, suddenly realizing he might be able to get some more info. "So you train the Flight Crew too?"

"Sometimes. They have their own trainer at Sue's insistence, little guy named Blaine," she explained, watching his lunges carefully. "You'll see him in here a lot. I help him out since he's always willing to come in and box a few rounds with the boys or me in the ring."

"Oh. So they don't have their own gym?" he asked, hoping she'd say no. The image of Miss December working out in those tiny shorts he'd seen her wearing yesterday was making his own shorts uncomfortably tight and he quickly began thinking of dead kittens before Beiste noticed.

"You think Sue would allow her girls to work out in this subpar gym?" Beiste asked sarcastically. "When we moved to the new stadium, the Flight Crew got their own gym and sauna."

"Subpar?" He stared in surprise at the gleaming equipment. "It looks state of the art to me."

Beiste rolled her eyes. "Sue has somehow finagled Mr. Ryerson into updating her gym's equipment every six months. The machines in here are only a year old, but she won't allow the Crew to use them, claiming it's dangerous to their health."

"Oh." Disappointed, he eyed the clock carefully as he went through his reps, rushing the last set as the clock moved closer to noon.

"Slow down big guy," Beiste said as Finn placed the weights back on the rack, wiping them down after. "You don't want to risk tearing something by rushing through like that."

"Sorry," Finn said with a shrug. "I just um, got hungry," he continued. "So is it cool to take a lunch break now? I'll do more later," he promised.

"Actually you're done with me so you've got the rest of the day off," Beiste told him. "Next time you're hitting the treadmill for some running."

"Right," Finn said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I can still have lunch here though right? Even if I'm not staying?"

"Yeah," Beiste answered, puzzled as to why Finn would think he couldn't. "You into Betty's cooking?" she asked referring to the lunch lady. "She makes a mean roast chicken."

"Yeah, something like that," Finn replied. "So um, I'm good? Just report tomorrow?"

"Yep," Beiste replied, watching as Finn grabbed his duffel bag. "I'll see you then."

"See you then," Finn said with a wave and a glance at the clock, noting it was five past noon. Hoping not to miss a chance to see her and maybe, if he was lucky, talk to her, he left the weight room and made his way towards the cafeteria.

He pulled back the door and entered the cafeteria, his eyes automatically scanning along the group of women already on line for lunch. Not seeing her, he tried to casually turn his head, quickly looking over the occupied tables.

She wasn't there.

He sighed as he walked forward, ready to get on line himself while looking over the women one more time. Still not seeing her, he picked up a tray and set it on the counter, disappointed at apparently missing her again. With a smile, he accepted the plate Betty offered, not even looking down at what she gave. He turned to find a seat, spotting Artie and crossing over to him.

Tomorrow would be the day, he told himself as he dug into his food. He could wait one more day.

* * *

Unfortunately the next day brought company. Finn was changing in the locker room when suddenly a hand slapped the back of his head lightly.

"S'up Huddy?" Puck asked as he began to change his clothes.

"What the hell was that for?" Finn asked before punching Puck in the arm.

"Touchy," Puck laughed. "And after I came in on my day off just to toss your fat ass the ball." He shook his head at Finn as he laced up his shoes.

"I appreciate it man," Finn told him honestly. "Just wanna get comfortable and Sorgi can't throw for shit right now," Finn said, referring to their back up quarterback.

"I know," Puck said with an eye roll. "He's useless. Anyway, let's see what you got."

The pair went out onto the field, grabbing some footballs from the equipment manager along the way. Finn noticed vaguely that the crew was out practicing and not making a move to stop, so he walked to midfield and waited for Puck to throw, his eyes occasionally straying to the other end of the field as he waited for the ball.

Puck rolled his shoulders and pumped his arm a few times before tossing Finn the ball. He watched as Finn caught it easily, jogging back to where Puck stood.

"Again," Finn told him, his eyes darting over to where the Crew was still practicing. This time, Miss December was at the back of the formation, which gave him a fantastic view of her ass, once again encased in a pair of tiny shorts.

"Go long," Puck told him, waiting for Finn to take off before throwing.

The pair continued to toss the ball around, falling into the comfortable rhythm they'd had since high school. Finn checked the sideline, noticing that the Crew was starting to make their way inside. He jogged back to Puck and tossed him the ball.

"Hey, wanna take a break? I'm starving man," he told him, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Sure," Puck agreed. "You want to take off or you want to eat here?"

"Here," Finn quickly replied. "That way I can hit the weight room after," he explained as Puck stared at him. "Beiste wants me to run on a treadmill."

"So shouldn't you do that before you eat?" Puck questioned as they walked off the field. "Beiste is gonna make you run miles. You'll puke."

"No!" Finn cried, frantic at the thought that Puck might insist he see Beiste first. "I mean…I'm starving. It's probably like swimming. I'll just wait a half hour and I'll be fine."

"S'fine. I'm sure Betty's missed seeing me," Puck said as they walked off the field. "She can't resist me. It's why I always get extra food."

Finn shook his head. "You just can't resist the older ladies can you?"

"I can't help it if Betty loves me," Puck told him as they made their way down the hall. "And for the record, my cougar days are over. There's a new kind of girl getting the Puckerone's attention."

"Yeah? She come already inflated?" Finn asked as he laughed.

"I think you're thinking of your last date," Puck retorted. "You know, the one you were cheating on your right hand with?"

"Fuck off." Finn gave Puck a shove.

"Just stating the truth," he answered, returning the shove.

"I will say that the food's better here than Cinci," Finn commented as he picked up the pace to the cafeteria, focused on actually getting to see her today.

"Where's the fire, Huddy?" Puck asked as walked faster. "I'm telling you Betty'll have food for us."

"Just wanna be sure," Finn said as he entered the cafeteria. His eyes immediately scoped out the room, spotting her on line but not at the end like he wanted. He wracked his brain trying to think of ways to cut and came up empty, instead deciding to just try and sit by her table to strike up a conversation, not paying attention to his name being called behind him.

"Is this seat taken?" he muttered to himself. "Hey, anyone sitting here?"

"Who the fuck are you talking to?" Puck asked. "There's tons of tables open."

"Right," Finn said, startled to again have been caught talking out loud. He snuck a peek at Miss December, hoping she hadn't heard, but fortunately she was much further in line, currently busy selecting a piece of fruit.

"_Yoohoo! Finn!"_

He groaned internally at the sound of his name being called across the cafeteria, his face flushing when he saw Puck's smirk. Before he could say anything, he felt a hand latch onto his forearm. With one last glance at Miss December as she walked out of line and to a table, he turned to Sandy. "Hey Mr. Ryerson."

"Hello, Finn," Sandy trilled. His fingers lingered on Finn's forearm for a moment before he snatched it away to fiddle with his sweater. "I was hoping to catch you at lunch today."

"Oh? Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Finn asked, puzzled as he reached to take his plate from Betty.

Ignoring his question, Sandy pressed on. ""I _knew_ you were a meat and potatoes guy," he announced triumphantly as he looked at Finn's meatloaf and mashed potatoes. "Lucky for you, the executive lunchroom is serving prime rib today so you should come up and try it."

"But I already have my lunch, so-" Finn said with a shrug, hoping to avoid Sandy's invitation.

"That's ok," Sandy replied, grabbing the tray from Finn's hand. He turned to the next person in line and handed off the tray. "Mr. Puckerman will take yours."

"Hey! I don't take Hudson's leftovers Mr. Ryerson," Puck said, clearly insulted. "If anything, he's lucky to get mine," he boasted.

"Well today you get his," Sandy decreed. "Come along Finn, maybe you can tell me if the recipe should be offered at the stadium restaurant on game days."

"Sure thing Mr. Ryerson," Finn mumbled even though he didn't give a shit if they offered prime rib on game day-he wouldn't be able to eat it.

"You _must_ call me Sandy," Sandy urged as he began to walk out of the room.

Finn sighed and let himself be led away, glancing one last time at Miss December's table as she threw her head back and laughed. He longed to turn back and see what she was laughing at but continued on, unaware that her eyes had flitted over to him as he walked away.

Tomorrow he would be his day.

* * *

Finn walked into the weight room the next day, ready to get in a little time training before hustling to the cafeteria again. Even the prime rib, though excellent, hadn't been enough to make up for missing his opportunity. He walked to the stationary bike and pedaled for a few to warm up as Beiste talked to him about what they'd work on that day.

"Lower body today," she announced. "Squats with the kettle bell and lunges before moving onto the machines ok?"

"Ok," Finn muttered. He finished pedaling and went across the room to pick up the kettle bell. He swung it back and forth as he mentally thought of his plans to introduce himself. "Finn, Finn Hudson," he mused over and over, wondering if using his last name would be too formal. He snuck a glance at Beiste to make sure she hadn't heard him talking to himself again, but fortunately, she was deep in conversation with a small man with gelled hair.

"Hold up Finn. I want you to meet Blaine."

He put the kettle bell back on the floor to hold out his hand. "Hey, I'm Finn."

The small man nodded as if he already knew that. "I'm Blaine, head trainer for the Flight Crew. You box?"

"Uh no."

"Oh well if you ever want to learn, I can teach you. Been boxing with Beiste for years."

Finn cast an amused eye on Blaine, wondering how that worked. Beiste was his height, while Blaine looked as if he topped at at 5'5. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

Blaine glanced at his watch. "I better get back. Got some girls coming in at 11 before they go to lunch."

"See you." Finn watched the little man retreat towards the door, his eyes glancing at the clock and noting that it was just about eleven.

Armed with the information Blaine had unknowingly supplied, he moved through the rest of his routine easily, working up a light sweat before glancing up at the clock again, frowning when he saw it was only 11:45. He had another 15 minutes to get through and was starting to get anxious.

"You're doing well," Beiste praised as she increased the amount of weight Finn was currently doing on the leg press. "Just a few more reps."

Finn focused on finishing, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth as he pushed the weights and his mind busy concentrating on the idea of sitting with Miss December. He finished just as Puck poked his head in the door.

"See Evans-I told you he was here," Puck said as he strolled into the room.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Finn asked as he fist bumped each of the men.

"Just wanted to get in a few runs before camp," Sam explained. "Puck mentioned you were working out and I wanted to see if you wanted to grab lunch."

"Sure," Finn replied automatically, giving up hope of sitting with Miss December. He eyed the clock and noted it was ten to noon and thought maybe if he couldn't sit with her he could at least talk to her on line. He left the room with a nod to Beiste, walking slowly down the hallway, trying to time it just right to get on line behind her.

"Way to walk like you have a load in your pants, Huddy," Puck complained. "Yesterday you couldn't wait to get the cafeteria and now you're moving like a fucking turtle. What the hell?"

"Just trying to uh get my heart rate back to normal after that workout," Finn lied lamely, though his heart was actually pounding in anticipation.

"Smart man," Sam told him. "Gotta let your body cool down."

They made their way into the cafeteria, Finn's hopes plummeting as he saw Miss December at a table already. However, the neighboring table was empty and he rushed forward to jump on line and get his food.

"Think you can handle boring meatloaf again after the sharing a prime rib with Sandy?" Puck asked as he stood next to Finn. "You two exclusive yet?"

"Shut up. We didn't share a prime rib. He had the salmon," Finn retorted with a smile for Betty as she handed him a plate with a thick juicy roast beef sandwich on it and some potato salad.

"Yeah? He want your opinion on that too?"

"Can it, Puckerman." He took his plate and went to walk away, stopping in his tracks as Puck yelled from behind him.

"Hey look Hudson! The lump of mashed potatoes Betty just gave me looks like your head," Puck called across the cafeteria, snickering as he approached Finn.

"Fuck you," Finn said without heat before walking away, anxious to get to that empty table next to Rachel. He frowned as he saw that Karofsky had claimed it, which annoyed him to no end since Karofsky had only come to the stadium to make sure he got a better parking spot than last year.

"You sure you're allowed to eat with us today, Princess?" Puck asked as they made their way to an empty table, mercifully just behind Miss December. Finn scrambled for the seat that would face her, practically tossing his tray on the table to claim that spot. "Or is Sandy going to request your presence in the executive ivory tower again?"

"He's not here today," Finn replied absently before realizing what he'd said. "I mean-"

"Aww cute, you know his schedule," Puck commented, Sam snickering next to him. "You two work out your carpool schedule yet?"

"Fuck off, he just wanted my opinion." Finn dug into his sandwich, glaring at Puck.

After flipping Puck off, he looked over Puck's shoulder to see her sitting at her table, pushing around her salad with a fork. He watched intently as she finally speared a piece of lettuce and brought it to her lips, wondering how she even managed to make that look sexy. He was so intent on watching her that he failed to notice Puck had been continuing to talk to him.

"Huddy," Puck repeated, annoyed that Finn's attention appeared to be elsewhere. He snapped his fingers in front of Finn's face. "The fuck you staring at?"

"Nothing," Finn replied as he flushed, looking back down at his plate. "Just got a lot on my mind before camp starts, sorry."

"You should try and meditate," Sam offered, shrugging as both men turned to stare at him. "Mercedes got me into it this off season," he explained, referring to his long time girlfriend. "It really cleared my head-you should try it."

"You're shitting me Evans, you telling me you're into all that ohm shit?" Puck asked, turning to stare at Sam. "You two do that as foreplay?"

"It works," Sam insisted. "And no, we don't, although there is a type of meditative sex where you-"

"Save it." Puck held up a hand. "I don't need to hear what kind of freaky shit you've got going on in the bedroom and neither does Hudson, since he's got nothing going on in there anyway."

Finn laughed at the exchange going on between his friends, thankful that Sam had distracted Puck and allowed him to continue to watch Miss December. He ate mindlessly as he watched her, captivated by her sunny smile. He frowned as she stood up from the table to throw away her plate but he quickly became fascinated with the expanse of leg she was showing under her short shorts.

Not wanting to look like a creep for staring, he quickly looked back at his food, shoving his sandwich in his mouth as he tried to think of a way to approach her before she left. Her eyes flickered over to him as she threw out her garbage, a fact that went unnoticed by him as he continued to shovel in his potato salad. Unfortunately, he took a little too long and his head snapped up just in time to see her exit the cafeteria, his eyes following her movement.

He sighed and tuned back into Puck and Sam's conversation, reminding himself he had one more day here before practices really started.

He'd talk to her then.

* * *

After rushing around on the field the next morning, attempting to catch passes again from Sorgi as Puck was in meetings with the offensive coordinator, Finn made his way to the cafeteria once more determined to talk to her.

As usual, he did his quick scan of the cafeteria as he grabbed a tray and his heart dropped a little when he located Miss December.

She was on line. Alone. And even better, she was at the end of it.

He clutched his tray tightly in his hands as he weaved in and out of the crowd, much like he ran through the defense of other teams. He kept his eye on the goal line, or in this case the lunch line, with Miss December standing at the end of it. He was so focused that he missed the _caution wet floor_ sign in the way, tripping over it and sending him catapulting into line behind her. His tray slammed into the counter top of the food area as he tried to regain his balance. He hoped nobody had noticed and opened his mouth to speak just as he heard a voice behind him shout into a bullhorn.

"Attention Flight Crew," Sue barked, aiming her bullhorn at the tables. "Steer clear of the jumbo jet to my left unless you'd like to be covered in the mystery meat Sandy's trying to pass off as meatloaf. The new star wide receiver apparently can't hold onto anything for more than two seconds," she sneered, referring to his dropped catches during his time on the field. "To think my pompom budget got cut for this."

Finn felt his face flush as he looked down, trying to peek out the side of his eyes to see if Miss December had moved or reacted to Sue's comment. She hadn't moved, instead offering a sympathetic smile before turning back to peruse the food choices. Praying Sue was done, he opened his mouth only to be cut off.

"You hear me up there, 747?" Sue asked, now aiming her bullhorn at his head. "I don't want you fumbling your tray around my crew-they may not be in costume yet but they will be soon and I'll be deducting the dry cleaning fee from your salary if you ruin them," she continued. "Their costumes cost more than you make in a year and have to be dry cleaned in Europe-so watch your step. That goes for the gatorade on game day too."

"Uh, I…" he stammered, his face scarlet.

"Outta my way, Boeing. I've got to find Sandy. It's come to my attention that he's trying to pass off a smaller office on me and I won't stand for it. My office _must_ be bigger than Schuester's. It's in my contract." She stormed off, leaving a relieved Finn behind.

Finn's face burned as he tried to think of a smooth way to start a conversation after Sue's rant. Thankfully Betty gave him an opening as she asked Miss December what she was having.

"I'm just not sure yet," she hemmed as she stared at the specials. "Perhaps-"

"I heard the turkey chili is to die for," he blurted out, his face scarlet as she turned to look at him with wide eyes. The blush suffused further across his face and he could feel the tips of his ears turning red as she continued to stare at him.

"Is it?" she questioned, her tone amused.

Cursing himself for being so lame, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh yeah I mean, I guess they tried a new recipe this year and it's really good."

"But you don't have any on your tray," she pointed out as she looked at his empty tray.

"Well Betty here already has my food ready," he explained as he rubbed the back of his neck, just as Betty placed a generous helping of lasagna and a salad on the counter in front of him. "Beiste has me on a certain diet."

"Oh." Miss December replied with a small smile. "I better just stick with the yogurt and granola again, please Betty." She turned to Finn. "It's weigh in day, but maybe I'll try the chili another time."

"I'm Finn, by the way, Finn Hudson," he blurted out, not ready for the conversation to end.

"Rachel Berry," she returned with a shy smile as she nervously tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His eyes followed the movement of her hand, wishing he could be the one to tuck the hair behind her ear. He bet her hair was as soft as it looked.

She continued to smile at him and he flushed, wishing just once that he knew the right thing to say. "So, uh-"

"Rachel! Are you ready? I want to eat and go over that combination before practice!"

Startled, Finn turned to see a blonde nearby, holding a tray containing a salad and a thermos as she stared expectantly at Rachel.

"Thanks for the tip but I really need to get back to my table," she breathed out quickly as she picked up her tray.

Finn stood for a moment, transfixed before he realized that she was carrying an empty tray; her lunch was still set atop the glass covering the food choices. "Lunch!" he blurted out, his face flushing again.

"What did you say?" she asked, quickly looking back at him.

"Lunch. You…uh…forgot your lunch," he stammered, pointing to the bowl still sitting on the counter.

"Oh," she muttered; cheeks pink with embarrassment as she walked back to him. He smiled at her, trying to ease her embarrassment, relieved when she gave a smile in return.

He picked up her bowl of yogurt and granola, intent on placing it on her tray when her hand thrust out to take it. His fingers burned as she touched them and he almost dropped the bowl on her tray.

"Thanks Finn," she mumbled before turning to walk away again.

"See you around, Rachel," he answered almost to himself, sure she hadn't heard.

"See you," she returned quickly before walking to her table, a smile playing over her lips. He watched her go, noticing that she was wearing Capri yoga pants instead of the short shorts (although her ass looked just as fantastic).

Finn picked up his tray and walked over to join the trainer's table, going over their conversation in his head. It might have been lame, but he'd at least gotten to talk to her. He dug into his food, his mind already trying to think of how he could talk to her again. When he'd get the chance to do that, he didn't know, but he knew one thing.

Practicing before camp definitely paid off.

* * *

Practice before camp paid off in other ways too. Thanks to his practice with Artie, he was confident the first few days of training camp would be a breeze, even if it meant time away from Miss December. Determined to make the most of camp and prove he was worthy of the contract he had signed, Finn arrived at camp ready to play.

His official New York Jets gym bag slung over his shoulder, Finn made his way down into the locker room at the practice facility, hoping he would be the first one to arrive. He grinned as he entered the room, pleased to find that it was indeed empty, and quickly began to look up at the names taped above each locker so he could find his. Spotting his name at the end of a row close to Sam's, Finn strode over and sank down onto the wooden bench, his gym bag falling from his shoulder to the floor with a resounding thump. He sat for a moment before unzipping the bag so that he could begin to unpack, making quick work of moving the spare clothes and spare toiletries from the bag to his locker. With a furtive glance back towards the door, he reached in and pulled the final item out of his bag.

The official New York Jets play book.

He opened it, thumbing quickly past the actual plays so he could look at the addition he'd made to his copy. A grin spread across his face as he saw Miss December, "_Rachel_," he corrected in a mumble to himself, smiling out at him from the back of the book. His eyes raked over the picture, appreciating how the tiny costume hugged her body in all the right places and how the boots she wore made her legs look a mile long. He was drawn back to her face after a moment, staring at her confident, sexy smile and was so enthralled by her that he failed to hear the door open.

"Yo Huddy," Puck called out in surprise as he entered the room and began to search for his own locker. "You're here early," he commented as he unceremoniously tossed his bag into his locker.

"Just wanted to go over the playbook a bit before going out there," Finn replied, his eyes staring at the page before him but not focusing on the material printed there.

Puck made his way over to where Finn was sitting and looked over his shoulder. "What the fuck you looking at the defense plays for?" he asked, while slapping Finn on the back of his head.

Finn glanced down at the book, horrified to see Puck was right. He scrambled to come up with a response and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I thought we had to know the whole book."

"That how they have you train in Cinci?" Puck chuckled. "No wonder you guys had such a shitty season; nobody knew the right plays."

"Fuck you," Finn replied without heat as he flipped the page to study an offensive play while more players began to stroll into the locker room to get ready for practice.

"Put the book away; we'll hit the field and get started," Puck told him as he walked back to his locker, reaching into the depths of his gym bag to grab the practice jersey he'd shoved there this morning.

Finn stood and put his playbook away, tucking it underneath his stack of t-shirts before grabbing his own practice jersey from the neatly folded pile of clothes. He pulled it over his head and began to walk towards the door, absently nodding at some of his potential teammates as he went. When he reached the door he paused for a moment, turning back to see Puck high fiving people on his way to the door. Finn rolled his eyes and pushed on the door, stepping out of the room and waiting for Puck in the hallway.

The pair made their way out onto the field, grabbing a ball from the bin by Artie's feet so they could begin to warm up before practice really started. They managed to get a few throws and catches in before the rest of the players trickled out to the field, at which point Coach Schuester blew his whistle to gain everyone's attention.

"Alright guys, listen up. There's currently 95 of you on the field," Will called out as the men listened to him intently. "By the time we get back to the stadium there will only be 53."

Finn glanced around the throng of men as Will spoke, trying to imagine who would make it onto the final roster. He brought his attention back to Will as the coach finished his speech.

"So don't half ass this camp," Will warned. "We'll be watching you all very closely. Now get your asses out there and get to work!"

Finn jogged over to Artie with the rest of the offensive line to see exactly what drills they'd be running that day. He glanced out at the field noticing the cones set up once again, and grinned to himself as he remembered the view he'd had last week of Miss December as he'd ran through the cones.

"Sprint, cones, sprint," Artie repeated to the players. "When we're finished with that we're going to run a few plays against the defense just to see where we're at. I hope you all looked over the playbook," he said as he pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose.

Finn flushed as he remembered that Puck caught him looking at a defensive play, but thankfully he _**had **_already studied the offensive ones.

"So, here's your groups for these sprinting drills," Artie announced before reading off four groups of names. "Show us what you got," he said before wheeling off to the 40 yard line, stopping there so he could view the competition.

Finn took his place on line, stretching his legs while he waited for the first set of runners to go. He watched as they dashed to the forty before slowing their pace and jogging back to the line so that the next group could begin. The second group began at the trainer's signal and Finn stepped up to the end of the end zone and prepared for his own turn to run. He kept his gaze on the field as the second group came back, blocking out Artie and his assistants as he prepared to run. The trainer on the side signaled for his heat to go and Finn took off as fast as he could, leaving the other runners in his dust. He jogged back to the end of the line, high fiving Sam as he passed him. They ran the drill four more times before Artie signaled for them to move over the cones.

Finn wiped the sweat forming on his brow off as he walked to the back of the line for the cones, constantly shifting his weight back and forth to stay loose as everyone else ran the drill before him. He let his mind drift as he waited, images of her taking over and causing a grin to spread across his face. Absently he moved up as the line shortened, still not paying attention until he heard Artie call out his name.

"Hudson! Yo, Hudson," Artie shouted. "You're up."

Finn shook his head to clear it and focused his eyes back on the cones set out before him. With a nod to the trainer to start the clock, he took off, bobbing and weaving through the cones easily, not tripping or knocking any over as some of the other men had. He reached the end of the obstacle and trotted back to wait for further instructions.

"Not bad Hudson," Artie called out as he passed, giving him a head nod. "Think you can show these guys how to run that again?"

Finn nodded briskly as he cut to the front of the line, moving through the drill once again with complete accuracy. He finished and walked to the sideline to grab a cup of water from their fro-haired water boy, Jacob, downing it in one gulp as Puck came over to join him.

"Hey," Puck said with a punch to Finn's arm. "How's it going over there in running hell?" He took a cup from Jacob as well, dumping it over his head in an attempt to cool off.

"Not bad," Finn breathed out as he took a step back from Puck as the other man shook himself like a wet dog, water flying everywhere from his mohawk'd head. "But I ran some of these drills already last week anyway."

"True," Puck admitted as he reached for another cup of water. This time he took a long drink before crushing it in his hand and speaking again. "You ready for the scrimmage?"

"Yep," Finn replied easily. "Glad I'm in Sam's group-it'll be like old times with the three of us on the line together."

"We even have fuckface Karofsky and Azimio on defense, so it really will be like old times," Puck said with a nod towards the opposite end of the field where the other men were practicing.

Finn followed Puck's gaze downfield, mentally groaning at having to deal with those two assholes again. The group had been part of one of the biggest college football rivalries in the country since Finn, Puck and Sam played for the University of Michigan while Karofsky and Azimio had played for Ohio State. "They still pissy that we kicked their asses for four years?" Finn asked mildly.

"You know it," Puck replied with a grin while holding out his hand to Finn for a fist bump. "And I bet we'll kick their ass again today."

"Can't wait," Finn told him honestly as he returned the fist bump. "See you in a few," he called out as he jogged back to his group. He joined the men now huddled around Artie and listened carefully as Artie explained the scrimmage process.

"So we're going in teams," Artie reminded them as they circled around his chair. "Just listen to Puckerman and follow the play he calls out. The defense isn't going to hold back so think of this as a game and get the hell out of their way. Got it?" The group nodded and he told the first group to head out on the field.

Finn ran out and joined the rest of his group at midfield, listening as Puck called out the first play, a pass that would actually go right to Finn.

"You ready?" Puck asked as he looked over the faces in front of him. Hearing a chorus of 'yeahs' he clapped his hands and said, "Let's do this shit."

Finn crouched on the line, looking up to find Karofsky leering at him. Finn nodded at him and listened to Puck count for the ball, springing into action as he heard the ball connect to Puck's hands. He breezed past the defense and caught the ball, pulling it into his chest just as Karofsky reached him and tried to knock the ball out of his hands, causing him to bobble it against his chest. Finn pulled away from Karofsky, tossing the ball back to Puck as he walked to midfield.

"Hey butterfingers," Karofsky called out as Finn walked away. "I'd make sure to hold on to the ball if you wanna play for the Jets," he sneered. "Fans here get brutal."

"Just worry about yourself, Karofsky," Finn told him before he tossed out a reminder. "Don't forget-Coach said they're watching everyone since they have to make so many cuts."

Karofsky sneered as he took his spot back on line. "Players from THE Ohio State don't get cut, Hudson."

Finn didn't bother to respond, instead assuming his place back on the line and waiting for Puck to call the next play. Feeling comfortable with the next play since he and Artie had run it several times the previous week, he let his mind drift to Miss December, wondering what she was doing right then. Whatever it was, he really hoped it wasn't with another dude. The thought made him put more aggression into his plays, earning praise from Will and Artie and ridicule from Karofsky. They practiced for another hour, Finn going back up against Karofksy twice more in the process, before Coach Schuester blew his whistle and announced it was time for lunch.

"Alright guys, take a break and grab some grub. Nice start today," he shouted before walking off the field, Artie and Ken fast on his heels.

Finn trudged back to the locker room with everyone else, tossing his practice jersey off and throwing it back into his locker. He grabbed a fresh shirt, pulling it over his head before heading out the cafeteria with Puck and Sam by his side. They chatted about practice, with Finn asking a question that had been driving him crazy for years.

"Why do they say THE Ohio State instead of just Ohio State?" he muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's sounds so portentious or something."

Sam laughed. "Portentious? What the hell is that?"

Finn flushed as he pushed Sam. "You know what I mean; it sounds snobby or something," he said as he tried to explain.

"Gotta make up for the fact that they couldn't get into Michigan," Puck said with a nod as he entered the cafeteria. He grabbed a tray and jumped on line behind Sam and Finn as they looked at their food offerings.

"Too bad Betty's not here," Finn said as he grabbed a cold cut sandwich from the selections in front of him. "Her food is way better than this."

"Sue makes her stay back and cook for the Crew," Sam informed him. "It's part of her contract apparently."

"Oh," Finn muttered, his mind going back to the conversation he'd had with Rachel. He smiled to himself as he wondered if she'd tried the turkey chili while he'd been gone.

"Move your ass, Huddy," Puck said as he bumped his tray into Finn's. "I wanna eat while I'm young."

"Check it out, Patty and Selma are back together," Karofsky announced to Azimio as he jumped on line behind Puck. "You two have fun snuggling together and watching that MacGuyver marathon last night? Or did Hudson want to catch up on Gossip Girl?"

"He wants to know anything about that show, he can just ask you," Puck snapped. "Don't you run the Gossip Girl Wikia page?"

"No, he's just the president of the fan club," Finn added, snickering. "Heard he had to beat a lot of teenage girls out for that job."

"Fuck off Hudson. Let's see how tough you are on the field when your girlfriend's not around," Karofsky replied, turning to look at Puck. "You got your tissues ready Puckerman?"

"What are you talking about Karofsky?" Puck questioned as he grabbed a cup of pudding.

"To wipe your tears when Hudson serenades you with your song," Karofsky continued. "Hope you don't forget the words Hudson; _Endless Love's _a classic after all."

"I don't know that song, Karofsky," Puck said mildly with a shake of his head. "That the song you danced with your mom to at your senior prom? You buy her a pretty corsage to match her eyes and everything?"

"Don't talk about my mom asshole," Karofsky said tightly. "You know I was talking about you and your boy toy here."

Puck looked at Karofsky and shrugged. "All I know is that you moved on the field like you had a crap in your pants even more than usual."

Finn snorted, noticing Karofsky's knuckles tightening on his tray. He was about to open his mouth to speak when Will came up and clapped Puck and Karofsky on the shoulders.

"Good practice this morning guys," Will told them with a smile.

"Thanks," both men muttered simultaneously as they glared at each other. They waited as Will walked down the line, talking to more people on the way.

Finn decided to ignore Karofsky and followed Sam to a table, sitting down next to the kick returner for the team, Mike Chang. Puck approached, and sat next to Sam, completing their four top.

Karofsky and Azimio made their way to a table across the room from the others and everyone was quiet for a few minutes as they dug into their food. After a few moments, Karofsky broke the silence as he picked up his tray and banged his knife against it. "Who wants to hear a song with lunch?"

Half the cafeteria cheered, banging their forks against the table. Finn looked on with interest, wondering what was going on. Karofsky pointed to a young man on his defensive line. "Hit it, Smith. _Copa Cabana_."

The young man in question immediately stood up and began singing, his face scarlet. Finn laughed at the rookie's mortified face, glad that he'd never had to endure rookie hazing in Cincinnati. Smith finished the song, waiting until Karofsky gave him permission to sit down.

"Excellent. You can sit. Let's see who's next." Karofsky looked around, his eyes zeroing in on Finn's table. "I'm ready for Huddy's song now, Captain."

"Rookies only Karofsky," Puck reminded him before Finn could speak.

"All the new guys sing at lunch," Karofsky retorted. "I wanna hear Huddy's rendition of _I'm A Little Teapot_!"

"I'm sure Jackson over there will be more than happy to sing that one for you, won't you Jackson?" Puck smirked as the young man stood and hesitantly began to sing the nursery rhyme.

"Thanks man," Finn said with a nod. "We didn't do shit like this in Cinci."

"I repeat, no wonder you guys sucked in Cinci-you didn't follow plays and didn't have any fun." Puck shook his head and shoved his sandwich into his mouth.

"Nice table manners," Sam chuckled. "I'm amazed you're still single," he teased.

"Fuck off man, you know the ladies love me," Puck said before letting out an impressive belch.

"Oh yeah, you're a catch." Mike rolled his eyes good naturedly. "I can see all the ladies fighting over you."

"Man, you've been a real downer since you got hitched Mike," Puck commented sadly. "Bet you're not even allowed to hang out with us tonight-you'll be too busy talking to the little woman."

"I told Tina I'd call, but I'm definitely up for some time with the guys. What'd you have in mind?"

"See? Not even spontaneous anymore, gotta have fun around the mandatory phone call," Puck lamented as he shook his head.

"Wipeout's on tonight," Finn told them with a mouthful of food. "That shits always funny."

"Are you fucking serious? You wanna watch TV?" Puck demanded. "What are we 90?"

Sam shrugged. "I'm good with that. I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, I kinda want to be in bed early," Mike agreed.

"I think tonight is Blind date Wipeout," Finn added, hoping to entice them further. "Besides, it's not like we can even leave the dorms."

"I remember the days when we used to not go out before midnight," Puck reminisced. He looked at the rest of the table, seeing everyone nod in agreement. "Fine, Wipeout and poker tonight."

Karofsky walked across the room to throw out his trash, crossing behind Finn and 'accidentally' pushing his chair into the table. He snickered to Azimio as they paused by the table.

"How cute," Karofsky said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "They're planning a double date for tonight."

"What's on your agenda tonight Karofsky?" Puck asked casually. "You gonna jerk off to a picture of some woman you don't have a shot with?"

"That's your Saturday night not mine, Puckerman," Karofsky shot back. "Only with a picture of Hudson."

"Why are you here?" Puck demanded. "Shouldn't you be rushing back to the dorm to set the DVR for The Bachelor Pad?"

"I don't watch that shit," Karofsky scoffed as he folded his arms across his chest. "But I'm sure you and Selma just love it."

"Only shitty thing I've watched lately is you on defense," Puck taunted. His tone turned serious. "Better brush up on your playbook during the meetings after drills."

"I know what I'm doing," Karofsky said heatedly. "Hudson's the one fucking up."

"I ran the play right; you didn't," Finn mumbled around a mouthful of food.

"Well we'll see who's got it right during afternoon drills," Karofsky declared before turning and walking off, Azimio hot on his heels.

"He's such a dick," Mike remarked with a shake of his head.

"He's just jealous," Sam interjected. Feeling the stare if three pairs of eyes on him, he explained. "Jealous that we kicked his ass so hard in college, jealous that we're all friends," he shrugged.

Puck continued to stare as he asked. "That right, Dr. Phil?"

"I don't watch Dr. Phil!"

"Oh, my mistake. You got it from watching Oprah with Mercedes, didn't you?" Puck questioned with a smirk.

Sam just laughed and threw his apple core at Puck as he pushed back from the table. "I'm hitting the weight room before we get back on the field."

"Hold up, I'll go too," Mike volunteered, standing and throwing away his trash.

"See you back out there." Puck nodded at them as he dug into his pudding cup.

"See you," Finn called out to their retreating backs as he wiped his hands. "Maybe I should study after lunch," he said casually.

"Study later; we'll go back on the field early and toss around the ball," Puck told him firmly. "We'll be in meetings all afternoon and Artie will be shoving that playbook down your throat anyway."

"Sure thing," Finn muttered, unwilling to explain he didn't want to study anything other than Miss December.

"Come on, let's go." Puck polished off his pudding and threw his trash away, waiting as Finn did the same. He hurried out of the cafeteria, easily making the trek back to the locker room, Finn hot on his heels. He quickly pulled another practice jersey out of his locker, staring expectantly at Finn. "Don't just stand there looking goofy, get your jersey on."

"I'll be right there," Finn told him as he paused in front of his locker. "Just gotta take a leak," he announced, hoping Puck would get the hint.

"Alright, I'll see you out there," Puck replied as he walked to the door.

Finn waited for a moment after the door closed to pull out his playbook, sneaking a quick look at her picture before he pulled on his practice jersey. He placed the book back in his locker and walked out of the locker room, hoping the afternoon practice went as well as the morning.

It didn't.

Karofsky had come at him like a freaking freight train every time they'd lined up, apparently having made it his life's mission to strip Finn of the ball. Thankfully Finn held on to the ball when he caught it, but his body had taken a beating since they hadn't worn full pads.

After the scrimmages they had a team meeting, going over the highlights and lows of the day. Finn could almost feel the target growing on his back as Coach Schuester sang his praises from the front of the room. Thankfully the meeting was brief, but Finn could already hear others grumbling at the amount of praise he had received. Position meetings followed immediately after, which meant he didn't see Sam, Puck, Mike and thankfully Karofsky until dinner. Starving, he ate with the guys again, avoiding Karofsky and making quick work of the pasta provided for the team dinner before heading back to the suite he was sharing with Puck, Sam and Mike.

After finally getting settled in their room, Finn stretched his body on the too short bed. He crossed his feet at the ankle on top of the metal bar at the end of the twin bed and opened his playbook as Puck played with his phone over on his own bed. They were dressed comfortably in basketball shorts and t-shirts as they prepared to relax.

Slowly, he turned the pages of the playbook, his mind wandering back to the conversation he'd had with Miss December - Rachel – and replaying their little conversation in his head, the only difference being that in his head, there were no lame comments about Turkey Chili.

"Almost time for Wipeout," Puck commented as he put his phone down and climbed off his bed. "You studying again?"

"Yep," Finn told him as he continued to slowly turn pages in the playbook, trying not to get to her page until he was alone.

"Dude, close the book. Schuester isn't going to be giving you a pop quiz tomorrow," Puck said while picking up a nerf football from the floor and idly tossing it from hand to hand.

"Almost done," Finn said as he turned the page again. "I'll be out there in a few minutes."

"You're insane." Puck shook his head as he walked out of the room and into the common room of the suite. "I'm giving you until Wipeout comes on, then your fat ass better be out there."

Finn nodded absently, quickly turning the pages of the playbook to her page. His finger traced over the curve of her body as he wondered for the thousandth time if she had a boyfriend. For his sake, he hoped she didn't, but he found it hard to believe that someone that hot was single. He looked up briefly as the Wipeout theme music began to play before returning his gaze to the book in his lap.

"Yo Hudson! Time's up!" Puck called from the common room. "Get out here and get your ass on the couch!"

Finn sighed, gazing at Miss December's picture one more time before he grabbed his cell phone. Knowing Puck would try and take the playbook from him if he went out there with it, he quickly snapped a picture with his phone of the Miss December picture before replacing the playbook under his pillow.

He wandered out into the common area, pleased to see that Mike had claimed the floor to stretch and Sam was lounging comfortably in the bean bag chair Mercedes had given him as a training camp present, which meant that he and Puck each got a couch to themselves. Happily, he flopped onto his couch, pulling out his cell phone and opening her picture as the show began.

"This Vanessa chick's so much hotter than Jill even if she's not nearly as funny," Puck announced as he watched the first contestant get interviewed.

"I don't know," Sam pondered. "I kinda liked Jill."

"Vanessa's rack is totally better than Jill's, right Huddy?" Puck asked.

Busy staring at the picture of Miss December on his phone, Finn totally missed Puck's question. A smile played over his lips as he looked at her, imagining her interviewing him for the show. He was thinking of all kinds of kick ass things he'd say-all better than the lame ass comment about the turkey chili, even if it had gotten her to talk to him.

"Huddy's just proving my point Evans," Puck smirked as he threw a couch pillow at Finn. "Wipe the fucking drool off Huddy."

"What?" Finn sputtered as he brought himself out of his fantasy.

"We were talking about who had the hotter rack, Vanessa or Jill, but you don't need to answer. The drool and dopey grin clearly show you agree with me," Puck said as he turned his attention back to the screen.

"She's pregnant man," Mike said as he reached up and punched Puck in the arm. "That's why her boobs are big."

Finn looked down at the picture on his phone and eyed Miss December's chest in comparison to Vanessa's. It was definitely smaller, but looked perfect to him and he swallowed thickly as he stared at her until Puck's next comment caught his attention.

"What are you doing, Huds?"

"Huh?"

"What are you doing?" Puck repeated, pointing to his phone. "You've got that same look on your face staring at your phone that you do when you see porn." He eyed the phone suspiciously. "You got porn on there that you're not sharing?"

"I don't have porn on here," Finn replied quickly, holding the phone close to him in case Puck tried to steal it.

"I'll be the judge of that." He made a grab for the phone but fortunately for Finn, Mike's cry distracted Puck and he turned towards the TV to see what Mike was yelling about.

"Oh check that chick out!" Mike cried, sitting up quickly. "She's shoving her whole fist in her mouth!"

"Her big mouth definitely beats your trouty mouth Evans," Puck crowed.

"That's just nasty," Finn shuddered as he closed his phone and placed it on the couch next to him.

"Nasty? I think it opens up a whole world of possibilities," Puck replied, grinning. "Let's see how big mouth handles the big balls."

They all stared at the screen as the girl jumped from the platform onto the first big red ball before attempting to jump to the second and missing, causing her to fly through the air and into the water, landing with a splash.

"Big balls get em everytime," Puck cried between bursts of laughter. "Best part of the show."

"I like when they do the slide into the water during the wipeout zone," Finn said as Vanessa began interviewing another contestant. "People just go flying off that slide."

"Oh look Huddy," Puck said excitedly. "They gave him the name Doodlebug! That'd totally be your name on the show." He crowed with laughter at the thought.

Karofsky poked his head out from his room across the hall, calling out to the group since Sam had left the door to their suite open earlier in an attempt to get some cross ventilation. "You letting everyone in on your pet names Puckerman?"

"Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of Karofsky," Puck yelled back. "We're busy."

"I can see that asshat," Karofsky shot back. "Hope your periods don't synchronize-God knows you play like a bunch of sissies as it is, but being on the rag too? Ten times worse."

"That why you and Azimio always fuck up on the same play?" Puck yelled. "Your hormones in synch?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Karofsky seethed.

"I'm talking about the fact that you two usually suck together on the field and maybe you do it off the field too," Puck called back. "Now shut up so I can watch my show."

Karofsky gave them all a glare before turning and walking back to his own TV, turning the volume up incredibly loud.

Finn winced as the sound of the Cops theme song overtook their room. "Seriously, he watches Cops?"

"Who cares; let's see how Doodlebug does on the qualifier." Puck replied as he turned up their TV.

The men watched the show, tossing out the occasional insult to one another before taking bets on who'd win.

"Gotta go with Big Mouth," Puck said confidently. "She took a beating early on but she's holding her own."

"Doodlebug is totally taking her down," Finn told them with a shake of his head. "He was saving up all his energy for the last round."

"Sugar momma's winning it all," Mike said as Sam nodded in agreement. "She's been here before, she knows what to do."

They all stared at the screen, Finn letting out a triumphant yell as Doodlebug overtook Big Mouth. His joy was short lived as Sugar Momma came back to beat Doodlebug's score, therefore winning the money.

"Damn," Finn muttered good naturedly. "He just couldn't make that time last."

"That's what she said," Puck quipped from his couch, holding out his fist to Mike who rolled his eyes as he bumped it.

"Whatever man," Mike said. "I gotta take a raincheck on the poker-I promised Tina I'd call at 9:00 so I could say goodnight to the kids," he told them as he unfolded from the floor.

"I should probably give Mercedes a call before lights out too," Sam commented as he stood. "Poker tomorrow?"

"Lights out?" Puck repeated scandalized as he looked at Sam.

"You heard Will. He wants everyone in bed at 11."

"We're not at a freaking kiddie camp Evans," he snorted. "Pretty sure Will's not going to do a random bed check."

"Whatever man," Sam replied as he flipped him off. "I'd just rather be rested for practice tomorrow than kick your sorry ass at poker."

"Fine, whatever. Never seen two men so whipped before in my life," he said sadly. "There was a time we'd all hang out and party-"

"Back in college when we didn't go out before midnight, yeah we know," Finn teased. "You're just jealous they've got women."

"I told you there's a new kind of woman for the Puckzilla," Puck said proudly.

"We all know Betty loves you," Finn said with a chuckle.

"Now who's jealous?" Puck laughed.

"You two can duke it out over Betty; we've got women to talk to," Sam announced as he walked out the door towards the room he was sharing with Mike.

"See you tomorrow," Mike told them with a wave as he followed Sam, closing the door to the bedroom behind him but leaving the door from the suite to the hallway open.

Karofsky looked over from his suite. "Double date over so soon? They just couldn't stomach the sight of you two cuddling?"

Puck flipped him off. "Jealous that the only date you've had lately is your right hand?" he asked innocently, smirking when Karofsky's knuckles went white.

"I've dated plenty of chicks recently," Karofsky yelled out. "You know the ladies love me, but I've got my eye on some prime meat right at home," he sneered.

Puck stood up and walked to the doorway of the suite, glaring at Karofsky. "Listen asshole. You stay away from the crew. The last thing this team needs is a repeat of Candigate, do I make myself clear?"

"Candi's old news," Karofsky said as he stood in his own doorway and glared at Puck. "I got someone much better in mind."

"So long as she's not on the crew I don't care who you fuck. Now it's lights out in twenty," Puck snapped before he slammed the door, using Sam's childish words without a second thought. He turned and strode back into the bedroom, mumbling as he went.

"Who's Candi?" Finn asked as he followed Puck into their bedroom.

"An old Flight Crew member," Puck began as he flopped on his bed and folded his arms behind his head.

"Oh," Finn nodded. "What's she got to do with Karofsky? I thought we couldn't date the crew?"

"Dickhead's the reason that clause exists in the contract." Puck said matter of factly. "He had a thing for Candi and they dated for a bit."

"I don't see what the big deal is," Finn replied as he plucked at the covers of his bed, imagining what it would be like to date Miss December (awesome).

"It wasn't a big deal at first," Puck told him as he reached over for his phone, quickly typing out a text.

"Well what happened?" Finn demanded as he thumbed through the playbook one more time.

"Nobody knows what went down, but we had to sit through a bunch of sexual harassment seminars and Candi's not on the Crew anymore," Puck explained as he read the text he'd just received. He typed one more back before turning off his phone and telling Finn he was going to bed.

"And you teased the others about not wanting to play poker," Finn chuckled. "Wait'll I tell them you were out by 9:30."

Puck merely flipped him off and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow as he tried to will himself to sleep.

Finn stayed awake a bit longer, actually looking over some plays before turning to look at her picture one last time. He closed the book and placed it under his bed, cursing Karofsky for screwing things up for everyone as he fell asleep, dreaming of Miss December.

**A/N: And so they meet! Thanks for the read and please feel free to review!**


	3. The View From Afar

Glad to be back at MetLife Stadium after three weeks of camp, Finn drove his Porsche into the parking lot, his eyes automatically scanning for a certain bright red Fiat. Spotting it quickly, he eased down the row, thrilled to see that spot next to hers was empty. Despite the fact that he had a reserved spot much closer to the stadium, he swung into it, sneaking a peek at her car to see if she was still in it and frowning when he saw it was empty. He grabbed his bag and walked towards the entrance, excited at the thought of getting to see her (and maybe even talk to her) again.

As he walked down the hallway on the way to the locker room, he noticed there wasn't any music coming from the Flight Crew practice room and sped up his steps, anxious to set up his locker and head out onto the field since he assumed the Crew would be practicing out there. With a grin he entered the locker room, looking above the lockers as he had at camp to find his name, his smile growing wider as he realized his locker was close to Puck and Sam's. He set his bag down on the shelf of the locker and began to unpack, looking at the door first to make sure nobody was coming. Satisfied he was alone for the moment, he reached into his bag and pulled out Rachel's Miss December picture and a roll of athletic tape, quickly shoving aside the Jets clothing the equipment staff had left for him, securing the picture to the back of his locker. He tossed the tape back into his bag and admired his handiwork, lifting a hand to the picture just as the locker room door opened. Hastily, he dropped his hand and fixed the clothing in front of it, effectively hiding the picture.

"S'up," Puck called out as he tossed his own duffel bag into the locker next to Finn's. Not bothering to unpack, he grabbed a jersey from inside the bag and pulled it over his head.

"Nothing man," Finn replied quickly, staring at his locker as he continued to unpack. "Just ready to get going." He turned and glanced at Puck who was sitting on the bench and tying his shoes. "You going to unpack?"

"Nope," Puck said as he stood up, slapping Finn on the back. "Time for that shit later." More than ready to practice on home turf again, he nodded towards Finn's half unpacked gym bag. "Finish up later, let's hit the field."

"I'm almost done," Finn told him as he absently unpacked while more players filed in, dumping their gear and heading out to the field to practice. "You can go ahead," he offered, hoping Puck took him up on the offer so he could look at her picture one more time before practice. "I'll meet you out there."

"C'mon man, your mom isn't going to come and check that everything got put away, let's just go," Puck insisted.

"Fine," Finn grumbled. He grabbed a jersey from the bag, unable to help the smile from forming on his face at the thought of what was hiding behind the clothes. His fingers tapped against the hanging jackets and shirts, imagining he was touching her picture, almost forgetting Puck was in the room until he spoke again.

"What the fuck you grinning at?" Puck asked as he shifted impatiently. "Let's go."

Finn nodded, taking a step away from the locker and towards the door, more than ready to get on the field and start the season.

And hopefully see her again.

* * *

"Why is everyone so excited?" Rachel asked as she watched the rest of the Crew hurry out onto the field for practice, more excited than they'd been in weeks. "We're still working on that crappy _Starships_ routine, right?" she muttered with a roll of her eyes as she tightened her ponytail before bending at the waist to touch her toes.

"The guys are back today," Quinn explained as she tied her shoe and sat on the ground in a straddle to stretch.

"They are?" Rachel asked, trying to sound nonchalant as she straightened back up, her eyes drifting towards the tunnel.

"That's why Sue's been in a foul mood the last few days. I saw her taking down Will's reserved parking spot sign yesterday," Quinn added, giggling. "She was trying to put up another with _Reserved for S. Sylvester in case she feels like parking here_ on it."

"I forgot when they were coming back," Rachel murmured, lying through her teeth.

The truth of the matter was she had known _exactly _when the team would return. She'd started reading the all the local newspaper coverage of training camp to keep tabs on the team (him) and _maybe _to see if any superstar girlfriends visited their man (again him) at practice. The past three weeks had been spent analyzing the two minute conversation she'd had with him, wondering if he'd actually meant to talk to her or was just being polite. She'd even tried the turkey chili, actually having it twice a week, so she'd be able to comment if he brought it up again. Her eyes stayed on the tunnel as she half listened to Quinn, more concerned with potentially seeing him than actually listening to her.

"Well training camp ended last week, so yeah, they're back and we're back to sharing the field," Quinn told her as she shifted into her splits.

"Oh," she replied with a lick of her lips as she glanced at the tunnel again. Her gaze passed over the players now coming out of the tunnel as they prepared for their own practice. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until she saw him walk out, accompanying the quarterback and smiling. Her face broke out in a grin as she let out a shaky breath, relieved he'd made it through camp in one piece and was officially on the team.

"You ok?" Quinn asked as she heard Rachel exhale. She turned her head to follow Rachel's stare and smiled slightly when she saw who Rachel was staring at.

Nodding, she kept up her conversation with Quinn while reaching for the hem of her tank top, ready to remove it for practice like she'd noticed all the other girls had done. "I'm fine," she muttered. "So they're done making cuts now right?"

"Yep," Quinn replied easily as she stood up. "What you see is what you get," she teased, hoping Rachel would look in the other direction again.

That thought in mind, Rachel lifted her tank top and pulled it over her head, leaving her in just her black short shorts and neon green sports bra. She kept her eyes on Quinn as she tossed the tank aside by her water bottle and missed the reaction from the other sideline.

Quinn did not.

She saw the way his mouth had slackened and how he'd come to a dead halt as he watched her remove her tank top, baring the taut skin of her stomach. And she certainly didn't miss the way his eyes had darkened as he stared before someone walked into him and broke him from his stupor. He jokingly elbowed the player who had walked into him as he resumed his conversation with Puck, oblivious to the fact that she'd turned back around to look at him.

Rachel peeked back over, trying to see if he'd noticed her, but instead saw him laughing as he continued to walk down the field. Her eyes dropped in disappointment for a moment, before she lifted them to look over again. She frowned as she realized he was no longer in her line of vision, instead Dave Karofsky was. He wasn't looking at her though and she watched him nudge the player next to him and point to another member of the crew.

Holly Hartner.

Rachel couldn't blame them for staring. What man wouldn't stare at a 5'7 slim redhead with big boobs? She poked Quinn and jerked her head. "Look at Karofsky drooling over Holly."

"He's not drooling over Holly; he's drooling over the additions Holly made during the off season," Quinn said with a roll of her eyes as she referred to Holly's chest. "He's such a sleazeball."

"True," Rachel acknowledged, though she wished for a moment that she was built like Holly. Maybe Finn would notice her then. She shook her head and changed the subject. "Where's Sue? Shouldn't practice have started already?"

Quinn was saved from answering as the woman in question stormed out of the tunnel, bullhorn in hand as she yelled at Coach Schuester next to her.

"Schuester! Still don't see why you're using _**my **_field for your team of misfits, but keep them away from my crew," she shouted before lowering the bullhorn as she walked across the field. As she approached the sideline, she raised it again. "Alright ladies, this better look better than last practice. Starting positions."

The crew quickly assembled into two clumps, staring out into the empty stadium as she walked through them. Rachel held her breath as Sue walked past, blowing it out when she passed without a comment.

Her relief was short lived as Sue made her way through the rest of the girls, stopping in front of Holly.

"You borrow one of Berry's bras there Hartner?" Sue mused with a smirk as she looked Holly over.

Rachel glanced over, a frown on her face as she realized Holly was in the exact same style sports bra she was wearing, just in bright yellow instead of neon green. She looked briefly at Holly's chest before looking down at her own.

She should have kept her tank top on.

"No Coach," Holly chirped. She took a peek at Rachel. "But if you want Rachel, I'll give you my old ones."

Rachel's cheeks flamed in mortification as she shook her head no quickly before Sue spoke again.

"Well just make sure those water balloons you attached to your chest stay in the bra, Hartner. I don't need media reports of you flashing the players, got it?" Sue asked before moving down the line. Nodding at the rest of the crew, she lifted her whistle to her lips, blowing sharply to begin the practice.

They ran through the routine with music, barely getting through half of it before Sue stopped them, telling them they looked like zombies trying to poop while they danced. They reset their positions and began again, but Rachel's eyes were drawn to the other sidelines where Finn was doing some sort of drill. She got through the routine, thinking how adorable he looked with his tongue poking out the side of his mouth as he moved through the drill. Her attention was brought back to Sue when the music stopped.

"You're boring me," she barked into the megaphone. "Do it again! I've got Hemorrhoids that can move better than you!"

Rachel went through the moves again, glancing at Finn out of the corner of her eye as she did. He was standing again with the quarterback and had a half smile on his face as he nodded at whatever they were talking about. She saw him look up and her heart fluttered briefly as he looked over at the crew, his smile growing wider. For a moment it seemed as if he were looking right at her and she almost raised a hand to wave until she realized there was no way he was looking at her, he _had _to be looking at Quinn who was standing in front of her. She focused back on the music, hoping Sue hadn't caught her brief glance in his direction.

Unfortunately, she had.

"Berry!" Sue shouted into her bullhorn. "You forget where the audience is?"

"What?" Rachel sputtered as she turned back to look at Sue.

"Fans up here," she gestured to the empty seats behind her. "Schuester's losers over there," she pointed to the field.

"Right," Rachel blushed.

They ran through the moves again, completing the song and standing still when they finished, awaiting her response.

Sue shook her head in disgust. "This routine looks awful." She looked the whole group over. "I'm going to ask you to smell your armpits."

Rachel looked over at Quinn in surprise, her eyes widening as Quinn merely rolled her eyes and followed direction. Rachel quickly did the same, lowering her arm as fast as she could in case he was watching.

"That's the smell of failure ladies," Sue announced with a sneer. "Break into your groups and go to your end zones. You have thirty minutes to fix this disaster."

The crew split up and quickly began breaking down the routine. Quinn led Rachel's group through the dance while Brittany did the same at the opposite end of the field. Rachel tried to concentrate but found her gaze still slipping across the field to where Finn was, currently getting a drink from the water boy. Quinn stopped the group and crossed to one of the girls, going over a section and giving the rest of them a break.

Rachel continued to mark the moves, wondering idly if he was watching when Holly approached her.

"Whatever you do, don't turn around right now," Holly said quietly.

"Why?" Rachel asked, stopping her dancing while she fixed her ponytail.

"He's totally checking you out."

"Who?" Rachel questioned as she tried to angle her head to look. Her heart beat a smidgen faster at the hope that maybe he was looking at her too.

"Don't!" Holly hissed, putting a hand on Rachel's arm.

Unfortunately Rachel looked anyway. Her eyes zeroed in on Finn and her shoulders slumped in defeat as she saw him again looking over in their direction but not at her. The water boy on the other hand only had eyes for her.

"Oh no," she wailed, spinning back around to face the stands.

"I told you not to look," Holly said. "Now Jew fro's gonna totally think you want him too."

"Well I don't," Rachel snapped, going back to rehearsing and completely unaware of the excellent view she was giving him of her ass in the short shorts she had on.

"You know, I wasn't kidding before, Rachel," Holly said as she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder.

"About what Holly?" Rachel asked as she executed a body roll, unaware of the reaction her moves were causing across the field.

"About the bras, silly," Holly giggled. "I'll gladly give you my old ones, you just might need to use a set of falsies to fill them out."

Rachel shook her head. "No thanks, I'm good."

"You sure?" Holly repeated. "I don't mind."

"I'm sure," Rachel said firmly, wishing Quinn would finish with the other girl.

"Well ok," Holly murmured as she patted her arm. "I guess you don't want to give water boy a heart attack huh?"

Rachel opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off by Quinn's clapping hands.

"Ok, from the top. 5,6,7,8!"

Rachel tried to focus on the routine, chalking up the feeling that she was being watched to the water boy still staring at her. She stumbled into Quinn once, shrugging apologetically before completing the routine. They did it again and Rachel made it almost all the way through before she became distracted by the fact that Finn was in a huddle midfield, his rear end sticking out in her direction. She got caught up staring at his firm ass and her musings about just _how _firm his ass was made her completely miss the next section of the dance, causing Quinn to stop the group.

Quinn looked at Rachel then out at the field and announced it was time for a water break. "Take five guys," she said to the group with a smile.

Rachel tried to walk away, but was stopped by Quinn placing a hand on her arm.

"Walk with me," Quinn directed, knowing Rachel would follow.

Rachel tore her gaze from the field where the team had begun to scrimmage and followed along. "Sorry I bumped into you," she mumbled.

Quinn nudged her playfully in side as they walked to grab their water bottles. "I don't think I've ever seen you so flustered during a practice," she teased.

"I don't know what you mean," Rachel denied. "It's just really hot today."

"Don't you mean _he's _hot?" Quinn quipped with a smirk.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rachel denied, dropping her gaze to her feet.

"Right," Quinn said sarcastically.

"I don't!" Rachel insisted. "It's just really hot. The weatherman said it was supposed to hit 95 today." She fanned her hand in front of her face to emphasize her point. "See?"

"It was hotter last week," Quinn reminded her. "Besides, I've seen you looking at him. You should talk to him," she urged.

"I _wasn't _looking," Rachel said even as her eyes drifted to the field to try and find him.

"What if I said he was looking at you too?" Quinn pondered.

"He wasn't," Rachel told her with a shake of her head, not allowing herself to hope Quinn's words were true.

"Was too," Quinn singsonged, wishing Rachel would look up since the man in question was currently staring at her and not the quarterback in the huddle.

"If he was looking in my direction," Rachel conceded. "It was because he was looking at you. He was probably trying to read what was on your shorts," Rachel muttered as she walked back to the group with Quinn.

Quinn rolled her eyes as they walked back to the group. "Trust me Rachel. He's _not _looking at me."

Rachel glanced out at the field as she tried to locate him again, finding him quickly in the line of players crouched over. She watched the play unfold as the quarterback threw him the ball which he easily caught. He took off running, actually running straight past her in an attempt to get into the end zone. As he crossed the line, her hands automatically clapped together enthusiastically before she dropped them back to her sides, embarrassed at having been the only one to clap.

"Excited about the scrimmage?" Quinn asked innocently.

"No," Rachel denied hotly, though the telltale signs of a blush worked its way up her neck. "Excited to get this routine right so we can take a break."

"Uh huh," Quinn muttered knowingly.

"I'm serious," Rachel insisted. "I mean, I hate this song so I'd appreciate it if everyone else would focus so we can move on to another routine after lunch," she said, ignoring the fact that she was the unfocused one who had made mistakes.

Quinn shook her head and chuckled before deciding to switch things up. "Front row to the back, back to the front." She waited while everyone complied.

Rachel took her spot in the back row, confused as to why Quinn had made people switch spots, though she wouldn't complain since she could see the field better from here. She looked around at all the other girls as she waited to start, noticing that everyone else seemed to have something written across the back of their shorts. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, she wondered if Quinn would loan her a pair for practice tomorrow. Not that he would look at her.

But just in case he did.

They moved through the routine again, this time nailing it flawlessly. Rachel kept her eyes focused on the stands the entire time, allowing her to concentrate on the steps and not the man on the field.

Sue called them back to midfield, making both groups perform individually then together. Rachel took the time during the other group's performance to casually peek at Finn from across the field, a smile forming as she watched him intently listen to the coordinator. She thought he glanced up for a moment, but quickly dismissed the notion as she took her place in the formation.

Imagining his eyes on her, she performed the routine flawlessly and effortlessly, even earning praise from Sue.

"Nice work Berry," Sue called out.

"Thank you," Rachel said with a smile.

"Alright ladies, let's run through _You Shook Me All Night Long_ once," Sue commanded. "We're going to be inside after lunch starting _Dynamite _so I want to see this on the field now."

The music began and Rachel let it take over as she moved to the beat. Her mind drifting back to the first time they'd run through this number; the first day she'd seen him. She smiled as she moved, her gaze automatically drifting to find him on the other side of the field. Her grin grew as she located him, standing once again next to the quarterback, only this time he wasn't looking at the quarterback.

He was looking at her.

She continued the dance, turning back around and shaking her hips side to side, her movements strictly coming from muscle memory since her mind was focused on the fact that he was looking right at her. The music came to an end and she stood there, unable to stop herself from smiling. She was so focused on the fact that he was watching her that she missed Sue dismissing the group for lunch until Quinn called out to her.

"Rachel!" Quinn exclaimed from the sideline. "Are you coming or what?"

Rachel flushed as she realized that she was still in formation even though nobody else was. "Sorry," she muttered before walking to grab her tank top. Pulling it on she risked a glance towards Finn who was back out on the field. She tried to stall for a moment before Brittany interrupted.

"Come on Rachel," Brittany said, her voice almost whining. "I need to get to a phone. I forgot to tape Maury today and I need Lord Tubbington to set the DVR for me."

Rachel laughed as she shook her head. "Let's go," she said as she bent down, quickly grabbing her water bottle before beginning to walk away. Her eyes stayed on the field until they entered the tunnel and she could no longer see him.

Quinn and Brittany chatted about practice the whole way to the cafeteria, while Rachel began to wonder if him looking at her was just an accident. She continued to ponder as they got on line and she absently ordered the turkey chili.

"Turkey chili _again_?" Quinn asked with a raised brow as she took her yogurt from Betty.

"It's to die for," Rachel told her, a smile playing over her lips as she accepted the bowl of chili. "You should really try it."

"I'll stick with the yogurt," Quinn replied, turning to walk to a register.

Rachel followed her, Brittany tagging along next to her as she tried to FaceTime Lord Tubbington.

"He's not answering," Brittany said, concern evident in her tone. "He better not be screening calls again."

"Maybe he's napping," Rachel suggested as she paid, her eyes looking to see if their regular table was open.

"Maybe," Brittany shrugged as she walked with Rachel to their table, taking the seat across from Quinn, effectively giving Rachel a clear view of the door.

Rachel smiled to herself as she sat down, her eyes on the door. She tuned out the conversation from Quinn and Brittany as she concentrated on eating her chili slowly, hoping that her lingering would magically pay off and Finn would be able to see her eating the chili.

If he looked for her that is.

Rachel swirled her spoon through bowl of turkey chili on her tray, slowly lifting a spoonful to her mouth and swallowing. Her eyes wandered again to the door and she watched as players began to enter. She tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear as she waited for him to enter, her watch of the door interrupted as Brittany spoke to her.

"You're eating slow today Rachel," Brittany chirped. "Is your food not good?"

"No, it's good Brits," Rachel said before slipping another spoonful between her lips. Her gaze drifted back to the door as Finn walked in, and she tried to swallow quickly in case he looked her way. Unfortunately, the chili went down the wrong pipe and she began to choke.

"Are you ok?" Quinn asked as she patted her on the back.

Rachel dropped her gaze as she nodded, still coughing and praying Finn hadn't seen her choke.

"Yoohoo! Finn!" Sandy trilled as he entered the cafeteria.

Rachel looked up with interest as the team owner made a beeline for Finn, who'd taken a step in her direction which she assumed was to grab one of the empty tables nearby. He paused as Sandy reached him, greeting the owner politely.

"So glad I caught you," he said laying a hand on Finn's arm and steering him back towards the door. "I've been simply dying to get your opinion on the suites at SUNY; are they comfortable enough?"

Disappointed, she watched as he let Sandy drone in his ear about color schemes at the training campus and the possibility of switching schools as he was being led away. Her heart beat a little faster as he looked over his shoulder in her direction, hoping he was looking at her. She waited till he was dragged out of sight by Sandy, upset that the owner had taken away her chance to have him see that she was eating the turkey chili.

"Rachel? Are you sure you're ok?" Quinn repeated.

"I'm fine," Rachel insisted, taking a long drink of water.

"Good, I didn't want to have to give you the Heimlich," Brittany announced before taking a sip of her Sue approved smoothie.

Rachel and Quinn stared at her. "You know the Heimlich?" Rachel asked doubtfully.

"Uh huh," Brittany nodded. "I had to do it to Lord Tubbington once; he was choking on the chicken wings I gave him. I _knew _we should have gotten the boneless ones, but he insisted."

Rachel risked a glance at Quinn and saw her shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter. Deciding not to delve into that conversation further, she took another bite of chili before pushing her tray away.

"Aren't you going to finish?" Quinn asked before scooping up the last of her yogurt.

"I'm not hungry anymore," Rachel replied honestly. She waited for Quinn to finish before pushing back from the table to throw her food away.

"Ok, let's go," Brittany said happily. "Maybe I should try and call him again before we start," she said as she began dialing again.

"No," Rachel told her as she tried not to laugh. "He's probably sleeping. Don't wake him up."

"But he's screening calls, I know it," Brittany insisted. "He's probably avoiding collectors since he owes a lot on his cat condo."

"I would wait, Brittany. Remember how angry he gets when you wake him?" Rachel insisted. "He ignored you for a week last time."

"True," Brittany said, reluctantly ending her call. "I'll try after practice."

"Good idea," Rachel told her as they walked to their practice studio. She smiled to herself as they passed the spot that Finn had walked into, chuckling to herself as she remembered how adorable he'd been.

* * *

She entered the practice room and began to slowly stretch again as the rest of the crew filtered in from lunch. Trying to put him out of her mind, she listened to the mindless chatter of the crew as they waited for Sue to come in to start the new routine, groaning internally when Holly joined her on the floor.

"It's always so much more fun to practice when the boys are back," Holly said before sitting on the floor next to Rachel. Pulling her feet towards her in a loose butterfly stretch she asked, "Don't you agree Rachel?"

Rachel shrugged at her and offered a small smile. "It doesn't really matter to me. Practice is practice, regardless of whether or not the guys are back."

Holly snorted and nudged her playfully. "Come on, it's always better with an audience-even if it's just the water boy watching you, am I right Nikki?" she asked as another member of the crew sat down to stretch.

"Yeah, I think I perform better when the boys are watching," Nikki said with a nod.

Rachel thought back to her performance after she'd realized Finn was looking at her. She bit her lip and admitted with a smile, "Ok, maybe it does help you perform a little better."

"It does," Holly said again. "Maybe if you'd borrow my old bras someone other than the water boy would look-just think how much better you'd perform if one of the hot players was looking at you, like #88." She patted Rachel on the arm as she spoke not noticing Rachel tense beneath her hand. "God I wish they'd play shirts vs skins."

Rachel immediately began to wonder if she'd imagined that moment on the field when she had made eye contact with Finn. Maybe he was trying to look at someone else and she was just in the way. She frowned and tried to think of a suitable reply to Holly's offer but was saved from having to answer since Sue had entered the room.

"Q!" she shouted, causing Quinn to hurry forward. "Walk them through it."

Rachel stood up immediately, moving to the front of the room so she could see the movements. She tried to follow along, but her mind was back on Holly's words and that morning's practice. What if he _hadn't _been looking at her? Or worse, what if he'd been looking at her so he could make fun of her with the rest of the guys? She certainly didn't look like the rest of the girls on the squad who were all much taller, blonder and bustier, something Sue never failed to point out. She was so lost in her thoughts that she missed a portion of the routine and stood still in place as everyone else continued to move around her, drawing Sue's attention to her.

"Berry!" Sue barked into her bullhorn. "You feel like moving today or am I stupidly the only one thought we were here to dance?"

Rachel flushed as everyone else stopped moving, their breathing heavy as they waited for her response. "Yes Coach," she muttered, her eyes on Sue in the mirror.

"Well which is it?" Sue demanded. "If it's too hard of a question, I can give you time think about it on the unemployment line."

"I'm here to dance, Coach Sylvester," Rachel replied quickly.

"Doesn't look like it to me," Sue said idly. "Go move it down in the weight room for an hour; tell that young Burt Reynolds I want you doing the Sue Sylvester Slacker Special."

Rachel just stood there for a moment, shocked that Sue was dismissing her from practice and worse, sending her to do the dreaded Slacker Special session with Blaine.

"Move!" Sue shouted into the bullhorn again, startling Rachel into action.

She took off from the room, walking blindly down the hall towards the flight crew's weight room. Not looking forward to her time spent there, she kept her steps deliberately slow as she walked down the corridor, since she knew that this was sure to be a tortuous session. She'd never actually been dismissed from practice before, but she'd heard all about the special full cardio session Sue had devised with Blaine as punishment from all the other girls who had been dismissed. Holly swore that Sue had stolen the routine from army boot camp the first time she'd been dismissed from practice and Rachel had laughed, never expecting to have to do it herself. Holly had been barely able to move after doing the workout and the thought of being so sore made Rachel take even tinier steps.

As she approached the Jets' weight room, she heard their trainer calling out encouragement to someone and reflexively lifted her gaze to see who was in there. Her steps slowed even more as she saw that it was Finn and she watched, completely captivated, as he stripped off his shirt before bending to pick up the weights he had been working with, Beiste counting out reps next to him.

Her eyes widened and she blinked at the sight of him shirtless while he lifted the weights, fascinated by the play of muscles in his arms and chest. A bead of sweat dripped down his chest and she licked her lips as her palms dampened. She was so busy watching him that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and walked right into the propped open door to the weight room, her hands flying to her face in surprise and embarrassment. Hoping he hadn't seen, she stumbled back from the door, a small cry escaping before she could prevent it.

Her cry alerted Beiste to her presence. Finn had already noticed her when he'd picked up the weights again, and had been mentally planning out the perfect moment to smile at her, not realizing she was heading straight for the glass door as she walked. The second she'd hit the door, he'd dropped the weight he was using to the floor, narrowly missing his foot as he rushed over to see if she was ok.

"You hit the door," he blurted out as he reached her. As he usually did when he was around her, he cursed himself for being so lame.

When she merely nodded as her hands still covered her face, he covered them with his own to pull her hands away from her face. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she muttered, dropping her head to her chest as she felt her cheeks burn.

"Let me see," he insisted calmly, tipping her head up and softly running his fingertips over her cheeks. His fingers trembled slightly as they passed over her face, shocked that he was actually touching Miss December.

"I don't think anything's broken," she whispered as she stared at his chest. It was defined, but he still looked like he would be soft to cuddle with and she had to stop herself from burying her face in his chest for comfort. She bit her lip as he tilted her head up to look at him.

"What?" he asked, his hands still on her cheeks, her words not registering at all as he held her face. His fingers continued to sweep across her cheekbones checking for damage as he stared into her eyes, pleased to see that her eyes were fixated on him.

The moment was broken however when Beiste came through the doorway.

"Rachel are you ok?" she asked as she moved closer to where they stood. "Hudson, don't just stand there like a bump on a log, go get her an ice pack, _**now**_," she yelled, sparking him into action.

He dropped his hands and practically sprinted back into the room, almost tripping again on the weight in his haste.

"I'm fine," Rachel repeated, immediately missing the feel of his hands on her face. She backed up a little, wanting to get away as quick as possible. "I need to go."

"Rachel, wait," Beiste called out.

"I need to go," she repeated, pausing a slight distance away. "Blaine is waiting for me."

"Let me check you out. I don't need Sue trying to sue me because it was the door to my weight room," Beiste insisted.

"I'm fine," she recited automatically, beginning to walk away backwards. "I promise I won't let her sue you."

"Rachel! Will you just wait one minute?" Beiste call out to Rachel's back. She turned to Finn as he came back with the ice pack and reached up to slap the back of his head. "This is why you close the door Lurch. She tries to sue me again, you're paying my lawyer fees _and _doing stair sprints every time I see you," she threatened as she walked back inside.

Ignoring Beiste, Finn watched her practically run down the hall as he stood rooted in place, the ice pack cold in his hand.

Unable to tell if her cheeks were burning from embarrassment or from his touch, she hurried down the hallway, only glancing back when she reached the end of the hall. Her eyes drifted back as she turned towards the Flight Crew's training room, a timid smile crossing her face as she noticed him still standing there. She lifted a hand and waved, seeing him wave and smile in return, before disappearing into her training session with Blaine, her smile growing as she entered the room.

This time there was no doubt; Finn had _definitely_ been looking at her.

* * *

A smile still on her face over the fact that she'd run into Finn, Rachel entered the Flight Crew gym, part of her hoping that Blaine would be at lunch while the other part of her was focused solely on the events of the last few minutes.

She'd talked to Finn.

True, she had to walk into a door to do it, but that was clearly his fault for having such a nicely toned chest that she couldn't take her eyes off of.

"Hey Rachel," Blaine called out. The Flight Crew trainer was dressed for a workout, wearing the same green shorts she'd once seen Finn wear for a practice and she couldn't help but think they looked much much cuter on Finn.

"Hi," Rachel returned, the smile still on her face. She didn't think she'd be able of get rid of it, even if she had looked ridiculous.

"So it's true?" Blaine asked.

"What's true?" Rachel stared at Blaine wondering how he could have possibly known about her walking into the door.

"You're really here for the Slacker Special?"

She groaned and rolled her eyes yet somehow relieved that he didn't know about the door. "Yes, I'm really here for the Special."

"I thought Sue was kidding when she said _you_ were coming for that," Blaine laughed as he shook his head. "I almost dropped the phone."

"She called?" Rachel asked in surprise.

"Always does when she wants someone to have the Slacker Special," he quipped as he grabbed a jump rope from the wall. "That's what that red phone on the wall is for. She calls on that line, I know to drop everything and start getting ready for the Special."

Rachel gulped at his words. "What sort of things do you have to get ready?"

"Well to start with, this." He held the jump rope out.

Rachel eyed the jump rope, trying to remember the last time she had used one. Realizing it was back in elementary school, she sincerely hoped he wasn't going to be whipping her while she did whatever the Slacker Special was. She'd already walked into a door, she didn't need to trip and fall on top of it. "So what exactly _is_ the Slacker Special, Blaine?" she asked nervously.

His eyebrows lifted as he looked at her increduously. "You haven't heard what the Special is? I know you haven't done it, but nobody has mentioned it? It's not fight club, you're allowed to talk about it."

Rachel shrugged and lifted her hands. "I always thought they were exaggerating. I mean, it can't be that bad right?"

Blaine chuckled as he crossed to her, handing her the jump rope before telling her, "We'll see what you think after you've finished. Now, it starts with five minutes of jump roping." He turned and looked at the clock before turning back to her. "Sooner you start, the sooner you're done," he said with a sympathetic smile.

Rachel nodded and stepped futher into the room, entering a space free of machines and weights. Five minutes can't be _that_ bad, she thought to herself as she gripped the handles of the jump rope, stepping over it and taking a deep breath.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Two minutes in and her arms were aching, making her wonder if the jump rope was made out of lead instead of rope. She glanced at the clock and noted she was only two minutes and ten seconds in. Trying to distract herself, she asked Blaine what was next.

"Crunches," Blaine told her while he laid a mat out on the floor.

"Crunches are part of the Slacker Special?" Rachel asked, surprised. "We have to do crunches every practice anyway."

"The Slacker Special is 500 of them," he told her as he looked at the clock.

"500?" she repeated, sure she'd heard him wrong. That was too much, even for Sue.

"500," Blaine confirmed. "And before you ask, then it's three minutes of jump roping," he said, anticipating her next question easily. "With weights."

Rachel's arms protested at the thought of having to do more jump roping, but at least she'd have a break in between. "Then that's it right?"

"Nope," he told her. "Just keep going, trust me you don't want to have it all in your head already."

Rachel glanced back the clock, noting she still had a minute left of her first jump rope session. Taking Blaine's advice and not thinking about what came next, her mind drifted back to the fact that she'd gotten to see Finn shirtless, something she would have missed if not for having to do Sue's workout. The image of him cupping her face shirtless was enough to distract her from the burning in her arms and she smiled to herself, not even noticing that her session had ended until Blaine called out her name.

"Good job," Blaine called out with a nod. " I have to say that you're the first person who's ever smiled through the Special. Holly's usually offering me money to let her stop by now."

Afraid word might get back to Sue that she'd smiled, Rachel set her face into a look of grim determination, _almost_ succeeding in banishing thoughts of Finn and the way his hands had felt running along her cheeks to the back of her mind. "I just want to get this over with. What's next?"

"Let's get you going on those crunches," he told her while pointing to the yoga mat on the floor, waiting as she set the jump rope down and laid down. "I'm going to count you in sets of 100," he explained as he crouched at her feet, holding them in place.

Rachel closed her eyes and blew out a breath before beginning, counting along mentally with Blaine just to make sure he didn't miss one while reliving her conversation with Finn in her head and agonizing over whether he was just being concerned or if he might be interested in her. The conclusion of the crunches brought the decision that he was just being concerned but by the time she'd finished her next session of jump roping she'd changed her mind and thought that the way he was caressing her face meant that he might somehow possibly be into her. The lunges Blaine had her do after the jump rope saw her mind flip flop yet again back to concern, reasoning that he was a star wide receiver and good looking to boot. He could have any girl he wanted, so there was _no way_ he'd ever be interested in her which meant that he was clearly just showing concern for her face.

She glanced up at the clock, noting that practice would be finished before she could get back. Resigned to missing the rest of the new routine, she completed the lunges and moved to pick up the jump rope, assuming that she would have to do that again. "How long this time?"

"No more jump rope," Blaine told her before she could start to jump.

Rachel dropped the jump rope immediately, elated at the thought of being done. "So I'm done? That wasn't _that_ bad," she smiled, slightly relieved.

"Oh, you're not done," Blaine said as he pointed a finger to the treadmill. "Five miles."

"_Five_?" she repeated dumbly. "Seriously?"

"Sue designed the program herself," he reminded her with a shrug. Gesturing again to the treadmill he waited for her to step on before programming in her run. "First time doing the Special is five miles, repeat customers do ten."

She rolled her shoulders and started off walking until the speed increased, forcing her into a light jog. Her skin glistened with a sheen of sweat as she passed the first mile mark, the treadmill picking up speed again as she moved into the second mile. "Has Sue ever done the Special?" she asked her breathing slightly heavier as she turned her head to look at Blaine instead of at the small monitor displaying her progress.

"Sue?" Blaine snorted at her, rolling his eyes. "She doesn't work out in here. She handed me the directions one day and said she'd know if I didn't follow them."

Rachel returned his eye roll, still not looking at the monitor. "I'm never doing this again," she vowed. "Is this what Beiste has the boys do?"

"They do much more with weights," Blaine replied, glancing at her monitor. "Although she does have them run on the treadmill a lot."

"I saw her working with the new wide receiver when I was coming here," Rachel wheezed, trying to sound as casual as she could under the circumstances. "He was lifting some heavy weights like it was nothing."

"Oh Finn? That doesn't surprise me, he's been hitting the weight room a lot, according to Beiste. He could easily bench press you."

"Yeah?" Her mind immediately began going places it shouldn't as she ran.

"I'm hoping to get him in the ring soon," Blaine added, checking her monitor.

"Don't hit his face!" Rachel blurted out, alarmed at the thought of Finn's handsome face getting ruined. Her sudden outburst had immediate repercussions since she started gasping for breath, wheezing until Blaine handed her some water. She took a few gulps, waiting until her throat wasn't so dry to speak. Thankful that her face was already red from exercise, she ignored Blaine's arched eyebrow as she handed the water back to him. "I mean...what if you hit his face and give him a concussion and then he's out for the season and suffers long term damage? How would you like to have that on your conscience?"

Blaine laughed. "Worried, are we?"

"I'm simply worried for your mental well being. Something like that could put you in a deep depression," she huffed.

"How come you're not worried about _my_ face?" he teased. "I'm not good looking enough for you?"

She glared at him as she began to pant from the exertion. "Am I almost done?"

"You're doing great Rachel," Blaine encouraged as she reached the halfway point of her run on the treadmill. "Just a few more minutes."

Rachel glared at him again as she spoke, pausing between her words to conserve her breath. "Easy. For. You. To. Say."

"Seriously," Blaine said with a chuckle. "I was going to box today but I might not have to reschedule like I thought I would have to if you stay on pace."

"You're boxing with Beiste?" Rachel huffed as she ran, wanting to make sure he didn't mean someone else. "After this?"

"Yep," Blaine returned, eyes on clock. "She should be almost done too."

Rachel's heart began to beat a little faster, and not just from the run. Maybe, just _maybe_, her workout would end when Finn's did and then she could settle the concern vs. into her debate raging in her head which had once again swung back towards into her. The thought of seeing him again pushed her to run faster, her long legs moving furiously on the treadmill.

"Whoa, Rachel," Blaine said as his eyes widened. "Nice sprinting."

"I. Don't. Want," she said slowly before taking a deep breath and continuing. "You to be late."

Blaine glanced down at her monitor. "I won't be," he told her easily. "You've only got a half mile left."

Her mind picturing herself getting to see Finn again, Rachel pushed herself through the last half mile, gasping for air as she slowed down upon completion. She slowed to a jog, then eased to a walk, her legs beginning to feel like jello beneath her. "I'm done right?"

"Absolutely," Blaine said as he handed her a towel and the water bottle.

She ran the towel over her face before dabbing at her neck and chest before taking a deep drink of water. After swallowing she looked at Blaine and said, "The others didn't exaggerate."

"I didn't think so," he smiled. "You did great though."

"Thanks," she muttered as she paced the room, waiting for her heart to stop thundering in her chest. Finally feeling it start to slow, she told him, "You'll tell Sue I did it?"

He nodded at her as he spoke. "Of course. I'll text her before I box."

"That's right," Rachel said, her heart beginning to flutter but for altogether different reasons. "You box in the guys' weight room?"

"Yep," Blaine told her as he put away the equipment they'd used. "You looking for lessons?"

"No," she said quickly. "I was just going to walk with you there, since it's on the way to my locker. I need to get home and shower."

"Oh," he smiled. "Sure."

Rachel crossed to the door, waiting for him as he turned off the lights and locked up. The two talked casually as they walked down the hallway, Rachel's heart beating triple time as they approached the men's gym, hoping to catch another glimpse of Finn. She scanned the room as they got closer, letting out a small sigh of disappointment when she saw just Beiste in the room, already in the ring.

"Well," she called out brightly to mask her disappointment at the fact that Finn was already gone. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Blaine replied warmly. "You really did do well Rachel," he reminded her as he patted her shoulder. "Go home and get some rest."

"Yeah, I will," she told him with a smile, waving as she walked towards the Flight Crew locker room. She entered and quickly made her way to her locker, grabbing her purse and slinging it over her shoulder before heading back out the locker room door. Quickly striding down the hall to the exit of the building, she rooted through her purse to find her keys, pushing her hip into the exit door just as her hands closed around her car keys.

Rachel walked through the lot, noticing that only a few cars other than hers remained. Careful not to hit the Porsche SUV parked next to her Fiat, she opened the door and tossed her purse onto the passenger seat as she slipped in, buckling her seat belt and grabbing her phone before starting the pressed speed dial, calling Quinn and putting her on speaker as she put the car in drive, glancing up into the rearview mirror as she drove away.

Just in time to see Finn approach the Porsche that she had parked next to, his hand raised in a wave.

* * *

"Yes," Quinn said into the phone, rolling her eyes as she nodded, stepping out of the kitchen and into the living room as she heard the door to the apartment open. She smiled, quickly placing her finger over her lips to still the greeting she saw forming on his lips. "Of course I'll go over the routine with you in the morning-you really didn't miss much though I promise."

Puck raised his brow at her questioningly as he kicked off his shoes, balancing a pizza box in one hand as he placed his key to her apartment on the ledge separating the entryway from the kitchen. He watched as she continued to nod into the phone, as if whoever she was talking to could see her while he walked into the kitchen and set the pizza down on the counter. Right at home, he reached into a cupboard, pulling out plates before opening the box of pizza and taking an appreciative whiff of air as the spicy aroma wafted from the box. He placed the first piece on a plate before grabbing three more and shoving it onto the other plate, waving them under Quinn's nose as he walked into the living room to plop onto the couch.

"Rachel,"Quinn interjected, cutting off Rachel mid-sentence as she walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out a beer from behind a bunch of water bottles. Grabbing a stack of napkins as she walked back into the living room to hand him the beer she continued to talk, steeling her gaze as he went to wipe his greasy hand on her couch before accepting the beer. "First of all, you know Sue's not going to hold it against you or kick you off the squad. Look how many times Holly and Nikki have had to do the Slacker special and they're still on the squad."

She paused, making a talking motion with her hand to Puck as she listened to whatever Rachel was saying. "_Rachel_. Are you insane? Sue's not going to put you on flag duty just because you weren't paying attention once."

Puck, bored of listening to Quinn placate Rachel, waved the plate of pizza in front of her face again. She swatted his hand away as she continued to speak. "Rachel, I swear it's an easy routine, we'll go over it before we go on the field ok? Now I need to go-I'm going to be late for my ceramics class. I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok?" She smirked at Puck who just shook his head as he wiped his hands on a napkin. She ended the call, setting her phone on the table in front of her and picking up her plate of pizza.

"She _still_ thinks you're taking a ceramics class?" Puck chuckled as he opened his beer.

"Why wouldn't she?" Quinn countered as she began blotting excess grease off her pizza with a napkin.

"Gee, I don't know Q, maybe the fact that you've been going to "class" for a year and don't have anything that you've made on display," he teased before taking a swig of his beer, tilting the bottle towards her to offer a sip after he'd finished.

Quinn shook her head. "I told her I gave it all to my mom," she shrugged. "Even if she was suspicious, she's _way_ too stressed right now to question it."

"What's up her shorts?" he asked between bites.

"She's convinced Sue is going to dismiss her from the squad since she kicked Rachel out of practice today." She rolled her eyes, sitting cross legged on the couch as she turned to face him, anxious to talk about what she'd seen during practice. "How was your practice?"

"It was fine," he replied quickly as he ate. "Better than camp since we're down to just the regular guys now so everyone can get used to each other."

"Well it looked like it was going well," she commented as she took a small bite of pizza. She changed the tone of her voice trying to appear nonchalant. "I meant to ask you how Finn's liking being on the team."

"He likes it fine-how could he not, he gets to be back on the field with me," Puck said before letting out an impressive belch.

"But is he liking New York? He's getting settled in ok?" Quinn pressed, setting her plate in her lap as she waited for his answer.

"I guess," Puck shrugged. "His house is pretty sweet; he's got a kick ass pool."

"That's nice," Quinn replied, trying to think of how to subtly ask if he was dating anyone."I bet he's had a lot of wild pool parties then huh?"

Puck snorted. "Wild? Finn? Those two words don't go together, babe."

Quinn rolled her eyes, pleased that Puck had given her the perfect opportunity to find out about Finn. "Come on. You expect me to believe that it hasn't been like a party at the playboy mansion over there? He's young, good-looking and rich. Wild or not, he's having parties."

"The only party he's having is in his pants as he watches porn alone at night."

"You just don't want to say anything about the girls at these parties since you think I'll be mad," Quinn teased, hoping he spilled something.

"Why the sudden interest in Huddy?" Puck asked suspiciously, a string of cheese landing on his chin as he set his pizza back on the plate after taking a bite.

"He's your friend," Quinn said innocently before she shrugged, making the decision to stop beating around the bush and go for it. "And since he was looking at _my_ friend, I was just curious."

"What are you talking about?" Puck asked, his brow furrowed as he looked at her.

Quinn leaned forward and swiped the cheese off his face. "He was staring at Rachel," she explained excitedly. "And she was staring right back."

"You're sure he was looking at her?" Puck asked doubtfully. "Sometimes he just gets that glazed over look on his face when he has to take a shit."

"He _wasn't_ taking a shit. He was staring, I know it," she retorted. "At _her_."

"If he _was_ staring, and I'm not saying he was, you sure it was her? Who else was by you?"

"It was her," Quinn insisted. "You were right there when he just stopped and stared when she took off her shirt." Quinn smirked at the memory. "Shocked you didn't slip on his drool."

Puck shook his head. "It's probably been so long for him he's forgotten what it's like to watch a chick strip. That's probably why he was staring."

"He isn't seeing anyone right?" Quinn asked as she took a bite. "He didn't mention anyone at camp or anything did he?"

Puck stared at her. "You mean anyone other than his right hand?" Puck chuckled before sobering, the eye roll from Quinn letting him know she was serious. "It was camp, Q, not a sleepover."

Quinn continued staring at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

Puck sighed at her. "No, he didn't mention anyone."

"Good; I didn't think he would date someone and look at her like that." Quinn smiled at him, her mind racing with possibilities.

"How was he looking at her?" Puck asked, confused. "And why were _you_ looking at him?"

"Like there wasn't another person on the field," Quinn explained patiently, ignoring his other question. "She was just as bad-we saw him score and she actually _clapped_ before she could stop herself-she _**never**_ paid attention to your practices before."

"Really? What play was it?" Puck asked. "I bet it was that Out pattern he ran. Fucking show off."

Quinn shook her head. "I'm telling you, he's into her. You need to find out."

"She should have clapped when Karofsky got leveled by Hofstetter. The fucker was picking grass out of his teeth after that hit. _That_ deserved applause."

"She wouldn't have noticed it unless Finn was involved in the play." Quinn smirked at the thought. "She even had to do the Sue Sylvester Slacker Special since she was so distracted. That's why I have to go early tomorrow to teach her the other routine and that's why _you_ need to find out."

Puck sat for a moment and tried to process what Quinn was talking about. Finally he spoke. "You sure? It doesn't make sense."

"And what does that mean?" Quinn demanded. "Rachel's so pretty."

"Berry's sneaky hot," he admitted as he chewed, still not willing to admit that Finn was looking at Rachel. "But Huddy's a boob man and she definitely doesn't have any."

"I saw him looking at her," she insisted.

"Two words, Q." He finished chewing, carefully enunciating his next words. "Boob. Less."

"So?"

"The man likes a good boob, Quinn." He shrugged. "Can't blame him for that. Maybe he was looking at Holly."

"Ask him tomorrow," she taunted before realizing he'd brought up Holly. "And Holly? Really? How would you know about her boobs unless you've been checking them out?"

"What is this junior high? You want me to just ask him if he likes Berry?" Puck snorted, ignoring Quinn's response about Holly. "Should I pass him a note during the meeting tomorrow so he can check off yes or no?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm sure you can be more creative than that," she said as she set her plate down on the table and scooted closer to him.

"Sorry, I'm not a teenage girl, why don't you just tell me what you want me to do?" Puck asked warily as he eyed her, noting the smile spread on her face. "You obviously already have a plan."

"Just make sure he goes to lunch with you tomorrow," Quinn told him as she walked her fingers up his arm. "I promise I'll make it worth your while," she smirked as his gaze dropped to her lips watching her tongue dart out to slowly lick her lips.

"That's it?" Puck asked warily as the hairs on his arm began to stand up from her gentle touch.

Quinn nodded as she spoke, her fingers slipping under the short sleeve of his t-shirt to massage his bicep. "Just get him to the cafeteria, I'll do the rest."

"What if he has plans?" Puck asked, even though he knew Finn didn't. "Maybe he wants lunch out, or maybe Sandy wants to treat him again."

"Distract him," Quinn said simply, stopping her touch.

"How?" He flexed his bicep as a gentle reminder to get her to resume her ministrations.

"By any means necessary. I'm sure you miss getting to be the one Sandy takes to the executive dining room," she teased, once again squeezing his bicep. "Take Finn's place."

Puck snorted. "Fuck no, the food wasn't good enough to have to listen to Sandy talk about the color schemes in the bathrooms. I never understood why he thought I'd give a shit-I don't use those bathrooms."

Quinn tossed her head back as she laughed. "Hate to tell you babe, he didn't care about what you thought either-he was just making excuses to spend time with you."

"Can you blame him?" Puck boasted as he processed her words. He flexed again, showing off his muscles. "Sandy's a fan of the gun show. Hudson must be a real downgrade."

Quinn rolled her eyes and took his plate, setting it on the table next to hers. She ran a hand down his thigh. "So you'll convince him to stay for lunch?"

"You're _sure_ he was staring at her?" he repeated one last time, trying not to let himself get distracted by the fact that she was now resting her hand dangerously close to his groin.

"Uh huh, and she was staring right back," she told him as she climbed into his lap. She brushed her hips against his groin lightly. "They're so into each other."

"But the boobs…" He trailed off as all gyrating on Quinn's end immediately stopped and she glared at him. He frantically backtracked. "I mean, the boobs aren't a factor at all. He's totally an ass man."

"That's better. So you'll make sure he's there at lunch tomorrow right?" she asked as she peppered kisses along his jaw, her hands running under his t-shirt.

"Uh huh. Anything you want, Q," Puck murmured before turning his head to capture Quinn's lips with his own. Quinn wanted him to make sure Finn was at lunch, he'd get Finn there.

After he had some fun with him on the field of course.

* * *

**AN: And so the plotting begins :) Thanks for the read and please feel free to review!**

**Once again, a huge thank you to mida212-hopefully this has restored my status with the Admiral!  
**


	4. The Cup of Cupid

His talk with Quinn still fresh in his mind, Puck drove to the stadium the next morning determined to see if she was right. He seriously doubted it, since like he'd told Quinn, Finn was a boob man and Rachel was definitely lacking in that department. Not wanting to piss Quinn off and risk a sex strike, he mentally thought of ways to bring up Rachel in conversation as he parked and walked across the parking lot, various scenarios running through his mind. He made his way to the locker room, only to find the man in question staring at something in his locker, a dopey half grin on his face.

"S'up," Puck called out, not missing how quickly Finn began to look busy shifting things around in his locker.

"Hey man," Finn replied as he finished fussing with his locker and sat down to tie his shoes. Finished with his task, he looked up at Puck. "You ready to scrimmage again?"

"Yep, just gotta hit the can first," Puck said idly as he grabbed his practice jersey from the locker.

"Alright, then I'll just see you out there." Finn rose from the bench, giving his locker one last look and a smile before he walked out the door, oblivious to the fact that Puck had been watching him.

Curious as to what Finn seemed to be hiding in his locker, Puck hung back in the locker room while the rest of the team headed out to the field to practice. He counted to ten after hearing the heavy door shut before quickly walking to Finn's locker and yanking things out and dropping them onto the bench behind him. A gym bag, spare practice jersey, game jersey and polo shirts all piled up behind him before he finally saw what Finn stared at with that stupid grin on his face each day before they left the locker room.

Miss December of the 2011 annual Flights Crew Calendar from looked back at him, a cheeky smile in place as she posed in a tiny red two piece, clearly inspired by a Mrs. Claus outfit. However, this Miss December definitely looked nothing like Mrs. Claus. Her shiny brown hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders and was held off her face by a sparkly red headband. Her head was tilted flirtatiously to the side as a small smile curved her lips. The small outfit accentuated her petite figure, the close fitting top giving her the effect of having a bit of cleavage and the short skirt showed the endless line of her legs. No, Rachel Berry wouldn't be making anyone think of Mrs. Claus.

Puck smirked. So Hudson really did have a thing for Miss December. She was no Miss July in his opinion but she was still hot especially with the legs for miles thing she had going. He stared at the picture, his mind already whirling with diabolical plans for torturing Hudson.

Grinning mischievously Puck replaced everything back in the locker as best he remembered before he strolled out of the locker room and onto the field with the grin still on his face. His eyes scanned over the players on the field as he tried to find Finn. He felt like he was playing Where's Waldo before he finally found him stretching on the sideline, his helmet at his feet.

This was really too easy. Now that he knew what Hudson's big secret was, he was surprised he hadn't noticed the signs before. Although surrounded by players Finn's attention wasn't focused on the conversation but rather across the field where the flight crew was milling around as they waited for their own practice to start. He smirked as he noticed Finn appeared to be looking right at the Flight Crew, but Puck's newfound knowledge allowed him to see that Finn was more specifically staring at Rachel's ass in the tight stretch pants she was wearing as she stretched and talked to Quinn. Checking the ground for puddles from the drool practically coming out of his mouth, Puck walked over to him, deciding to have a little fun at Finn's expense.

"S'up Hudson?" he asked as he rolled his shoulders and arms to loosen up, pleased to see that Finn was startled out of his staring.

"Nothing much man. Just waiting for practice to start," Finn replied, shrugging as his gaze flickered across the field again to not so subtly stare at Rachel who was now bending over to tie her shoe.

Never one to miss a fine ass, Puck stared also for a moment before he commenced his torture. "You know every time I step out on the field I feel like a kid on Christmas morning." He stretched his arms over his chest one at a time as he continued to talk.

Finn glanced over at him and nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Oh I bet you do," Puck said with a smirk.

Finn stared at him curiously. "I do! Sometimes I can't believe I get paid to basically just catch a ball."

"Yeah, it's kind of like the berry on top of a sundae," Puck commented casually, waiting to see if Finn caught his intentional slipup.

He clearly didn't since he was too busy staring across the field again which meant he needed to try a new tactic.

"Yo, Abrams," he yelled over to the assistant coach. "Hit me." He held out his hands waiting to snag the ball that sailed his way. "Care to get a few catches in before we start?"

"Sure," Finn said as he jogged backwards onto the field.

Puck stepped onto the field and cocked his arm back before releasing the ball in an easy motion. He watched Finn catch it easily and run a few steps before he tossed it back to Puck. Trying to maneuver him closer to the girls on the opposite sideline, he yelled out, "Go long," before he let the ball fly.

Finn ran back, looking over his shoulder at the progress of the ball, He reached up as the ball approached and snagged it, bringing it close to his chest as he ran. He tossed the ball back to Puck who immediately noticed his gaze drift back to a certain member of the Flight Crew, a small smile on his face.

Puck smirked as he caught the ball. "Go long again Huddy," he called out as he pulled his arm back, watching and waiting as Finn ran, moving closer and closer to the area where the Flight Crew was practicing.

"Careful Puckerman. That arm's not built for long distance," a voice sneered behind him.

Startled, Puck turned around. "Fuck off Karofsky. Why don't you go concentrate on sucking somewhere else?"

"I probably should since you and your boyfriend are already doing that over here," he retorted. "Just like college days, I bet."

"If it was college you'd be on the bench," Puck snapped. "Now fuck off."

Satisfied once Karofsky lumbered away he turned his attention back to Finn, who was apparently using the time waiting for the ball to stare at Miss December.

"Yo Huddy you ready?" He called out, frowning when he realized that Finn was so absorbed in his staring that he didn't even hear him. The frown turned to a grin when inspiration struck. Timing his throw carefully, Puck aimed the ball and let it fly.

It nailed Finn right in the side of the head.

He burst out laughing as Finn yelped in pain. The face that Rachel hadn't missed Finn getting hit made it even better since he'd made sure to look at her once he released the ball. Her mouth had dropped open in shock as she'd watched Finn get hit and he grinned wondering if she thought Finn was a huge dork.

Still laughing Puck called out, "Come on Hudson, that couldn't have been an easier catch. I practically gift wrapped it, all you had to do was put the bow on and run with it." He caught Quinn's gaze sending her a discreet smirk before looking back at Finn.

Finn's cheeks were on fire as he jogged back over to Puck, a glare on his face. "What the fuck was that?"

"Hey I called your name. Not my fault you didn't hear," Puck mused tossing the ball from hand to hand. "You should be listening for my voice the same way a kid listens for Santa's sleigh."

"Nice catch Hudson. That gonna be the go-to play for our Monday night game? Karofsky snickered, once again annoyingly nearby.

Finn and Puck both gave their answer in the form of their middle finger, with Puck adding another crude gesture in case their message wasn't clear.

"God I hate him," Puck muttered. "Why couldn't he have failed out of Ohio State? Then he wouldn't have been drafted and we wouldn't be stuck with him."

Finn shrugged. "He _is_ a good linebacker-even if he did got to Ohio State," he admitted grudgingly.

Puck looked aghast at Finn's words. "Dude. As a Michigan alumni you did _**not **_just say that."

"What?" Finn defended. "I said even if."

"That's just as bad!" Puck cried, bitterness from the long established rivalry lacing every word. "That's like telling a kid there's no Santa!"

"What are you talking about?" Finn asked, clearly confused by the direction of the conversation.

Puck noted that Finn may have been confused by the direction but his eyes certainly weren't since they were once again fixated on Rachel as she practiced some dance moves.

"Just saying, there's some things you don't do. As a Michigan alum, you **never **admit that an Ohio State player is good just like you don't tell a little kid Santa isn't real," Puck stressed with a shake of his head.

"What's with all the Christmas talk man? It's July," Finn told him as he leaned over and placed his hands on his knees. "You need a calendar or something?"

"Why, you got one in your locker I can borrow? Besides, nothing wrong with some Christmas in July. In fact, in fact I think we should celebrate it all year long," Puck said with a grin as he thought of the picture hanging in Finn's locker.

Finn just gave him a puzzled look as he thought about what Puck had just said. "Dude, you're Jewish. You don't celebrate Christmas."

"Doesn't mean I can't appreciate the season." He hummed a few bars of _Santa Claus is Coming To Town_ while Finn continued to stare at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Maybe you should go see Ben Israel, get a bit of water before we start practice. This heat must be getting to you," Finn said with a frown.

"Nah, I'd rather have milk and cookies like Santa gets," Puck commented with a grin. "Maybe Betty'll have some for me at lunch," he added slyly, now excited at the prospect of getting to make fun of Finn more in front of Rachel. "You got a date with Sandy?"

"No," Finn said as he flipped him off. "I told you-"

"Alright," Puck laughed. "Cafeteria after practice," he told him as Coach Schuester blew the whistle to get practice started.

He could hardly wait for lunch now.

* * *

Quinn kept one eye on the door for Puck and Finn as she followed Rachel on line, glad the morning practice was finally done so she could finally watch Finn and Rachel interact. She shook her head as she turned back to Rachel, noticing she'd ordered the turkey chili again. "Really Rachel? Chili _again_? You always get salads on fitting day!"

"It's really good," Rachel insisted with a small smile as she took the bowl from Betty. "You think it'll affect my fitting though?" she asked as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Maybe she _should _have gotten the salad.

"You'll be fine," Quinn said with a roll of her eyes. "I was just teasing." She took her salad from the Betty before beginning to walk across the cafeteria. "Let's sit here," she decreed while slipping into a seat at Finn and Puck's usual table.

"Here? But our table's open," Rachel indicated with a nod to where they usually sat.

"That's where we sit when Brits is with us," Quinn improvised. "Since she's not, we'll sit here."

"Ok," Rachel said slowly as she moved to sit across from Quinn. She stopped immediately as Quinn cried out.

"Come sit next to me," Quinn directed before Rachel reached the other seat.

"Why?" Rachel asked, surprised. "It'll be easier for us to talk if I sit here."

Quinn scrambled to come up with a response other than the fact that if Rachel sat across from her she wouldn't see the door to know that Puck had indeed brought Finn to lunch as directed. "This way Brits would see us both if she finishes with Holly before lunch is over, since we're not at our regular table," Quinn lied smoothly, offering up a silent thanks that Holly had screwed up the choreography today, causing Sue to order her to stay back and practice with Brittany.

"Well then why don't we just sit at our table?" Rachel asked as she moved next to Quinn.

"Because I'm already sitting," Quinn explained before lifting a bite of salad to her lips. "Now sit."

Rachel did as directed, sitting next to Quinn and trying not to obviously look at the door in hopes of seeing Finn. She picked at her chili as she listened to Quinn immediately launch into stories about past fitting days, missing the fact that Finn had just walked into the room with Puck.

"So the seamstress had apparently transposed all the numbers for the tops of the uniforms, so instead of a 36 I had a 63," Quinn said on a laugh as she recalled a former fitting day. "Sue had a conniption, firing the woman on the spot and forcing poor Becky to alter everyone's uniforms in less than a day."

Rachel dabbed her eyes with the paper napkin as she tried to wipe away the tears of laughter Quinn had caused with her story when suddenly a different voice entered the conversation.

"What's so funny, ladies?"

Rachel dropped the napkin quickly into her lap as she looked over, stunned at who had stopped at the table.

"S'up Fabray, Berry," Puck nodded at them, oblivious to the fact that Finn was staring at Rachel, who was staring into the bowl on her tray, a look of concentration on her face.

"Hi Puck, and it's Finn right?" Quinn said brightly to the pair, not missing the fact that Finn was still staring at Rachel.

Finn nodded absently as he continued to watch Rachel.

Puck looked at Finn, puzzled that she'd ask when she clearly knew who he was. He shook his head at her and said, "Something wrong with your table?"

"Just a change of scenery," she explained smoothly.

"That right?" He arched an eyebrow at Quinn, wondering if she could be any more obvious. If he had looked to his right he would have gotten his answer, since Finn was still staring at Rachel and hadn't seemed to have heard this exchange.

"You're welcome to join us," Quinn answered innocently as she nudged the chair across from her away from the table in invitation.

"Ok with you Huddy?" Puck asked as he looked at Finn.

"Um, sure," Finn replied as he licked his lips. He quickly moved from Puck's side so he could take the seat across from Rachel. In his haste he caught his foot in the chair that Quinn had pushed away from the table, stumbling slightly before righting himself.

"How the fuck you going to be my go to wide receiver Huddy, if you can't even avoid a chair? I swear a rhinoceros moves smoother than you do." Puck snorted as he settled in across from Quinn. He dug into his food, missing the blush spread across Finn's face as his friend pushed the food around on his plate.

"Anyway," Quinn interjected with a smile trying to smooth back over the awkwardness. "I'm Quinn Fabray and this is-"

"Rachel, Rachel Berry," Finn said quickly, cutting off Quinn's introduction. He watched as Rachel lifted her gaze to stare at him, her mouth dropping open, clearly surprised he remembered. He offered her a shy smile before dropping his eyes to his plate.

"I didn't realize you knew each other," Quinn said as she kicked Puck under the table in an attempt to get him to look up from his food and pay attention to the conversation.

"We met before camp," Finn explained, flushing slightly as he remembered how they'd met.

"_Really_?" Quinn said, shifting her eyes to Rachel. "I didn't know that."

Finn watched Quinn look at Rachel and he studied her face as well. Of course she hadn't mentioned it. She'd probably forgotten about it the next day.

"I told you," Rachel said as she blushed under Quinn's scrutiny. She shifted a bit in her seat, knowing full well she hadn't told Quinn but instead had kept their meeting a secret.

"No, you didn't tell me you'd met the new star of the team," Quinn insisted with a shake of her head. "I'm sure I'd remember that."

"I did tell you," Rachel stressed as she offered a small smile to Finn. "It was the day we were working on _Everybody Dance Now_, remember?"

"_Everybody Dance Now_?" Puck repeated with a roll of his eyes. "Lame. You guys need to start using more classic rock-"

"They have that AC/DC one," Finn offered, remembering the routine from the day of his tour. He kept his eyes on Rachel, hoping Puck wouldn't ask how he knew they had a routine to an AC/DC song.

Naturally he did. "How do you know that? You try out for the crew?"

Finn flushed. "I saw them practicing to it when Sandy gave me a tour."

He left it at that, hoping neither girl would elaborate and they could just switch the subject. Fortunately the girls remained silent on the matter but the same couldn't be said for Puck.

"That why you picked _Shook Me All Night Long_ for your touchdown song? You already knew the dance cause you 'borrowed' some moves from the crew?" Puck teased, ignoring Finn subtly giving him the finger. "Bet Sue had to give you private lessons since my 90 year old arthritic nana can move better than you."

"I'm sure Finn can dance, Noah. He's very graceful on the field from what I've seen," Rachel piped up, immediately blushing as all eyes turned towards her. Two pairs of eyes had a curious glint to them while the third pair was staring at her softly. Her own eyes instantly began to examine her bowl of turkey chili, suddenly dying to know whether Betty used pinto or kidney beans in her chili.

Puck snorted. "Can't say the same about off the field. Huddy's about as smooth as a cactus, and that includes his pickup lines. I told you, he's like a rhino in a china shop. Maybe that should be your new nickname Huds. Rhino."

Finn flushed even deeper, his hand quickly gripping his fork and bringing it below the table to accidentally stab Puck in the thigh.

Puck glared at him but seemed to get the message since he turned his focus back to Quinn. "Maybe I'll just give Howard some music to play during the games instead of that shit Sue uses. You believe that last year they did an homage to Madonna, Huds? Gotta prevent an homage to Lady Gaga from happening."

"Don't you dare, Puck," Quinn warned. "And there's nothing wrong with Lady Gaga."

"Howard?" Finn repeated, trying to picture who Puck was talking about.

"Howard Bamboo," Puck said as if Finn should know who that was. He looked at Finn and rolled his eyes at Finn's shrug. "He plays all the music during the games but Sue thinks he's there just to play music for the crew."

"Oh," Finn said before picking up his sandwich to take a bite, his eyes peeking at Rachel as he did.

Quinn kicked Puck again, both in annoyance of him hijacking the conversation and the fact that he was missing the looks of longing flying back and forth across the table. "You don't find the music distracting when you practice do you Finn? Did the cheerleaders where you used to play practice on the field?"

"I'm sure they practiced on the field in Cincinnati," Rachel said before Finn could reply. She bit her lip at the admission, hoping he didn't think she was some swim fan crazy stalker for knowing where he'd last played.

"Actually they didn't," Finn replied with a smile,his eyes focused on the lip she was still worrying between her teeth.

"That's why the crew's better," Puck said matter of factly. "They practice non stop. Bet you guys have already started your Christmas routines," he added slyly, grinning at Finn's perplexed expression at the mention of Christmas.

"Christmas routines?" Quinn repeated, looking at Puck like he was crazy. "No, not yet. Brits and I will start talking to Sue about them in October."

"Sue's wasting valuable time, Christmas in July is always fun." He threw another look at Finn, who just continued to eat his sandwich while sneaking glances at Rachel when he thought no one was looking.

Finn took his eyes of Rachel to look at Puck. "Dude, still with the Christmas in July?"

"Hey, some people think Christmas lasts all year long," Puck replied innocently, smirking at Quinn when Finn looked back to Rachel.

Quinn eyed Puck curiously, wondering his sudden fascination with Christmas. Deciding to give Finn and Rachel time to talk, and get herself answers for Puck's curious behavior she pushed away from the table. "Look at the time," she said brightly. "We have that Captain's meeting in 5 minutes, Puck."

"We do?" he asked, confused until he looked up at her face. "I mean, we do."

"Yes, so we really should go. Nice chatting with you Finn," she said as she turned to Rachel, hearing the scrape of Puck's chair as he stood. "I'll see you in a bit for fittings."

"Ok," Rachel replied with a bite of her lip, torn between being thrilled at being alone with Finn and terrified at being alone with him.

"Nice meeting you," Finn called out to her already retreating back.

"Later," Puck said to them both before turning to catch up with Quinn.

Finn watched as Puck and Quinn left the room oblivious to the fact that they were whispering about something. He was too excited, yet nervous to be alone with Rachel. He picked up his fork and stabbed a piece of salad from his plate, toying with it as he looked to Rachel's tray.

"You tried the chili," he observed before stabbing a piece of pasta salad in the bowl next to his sandwich and shoving it into his mouth to stop what he felt was going to be a serious case of diarrhea of the mouth.

"I did," she replied with a slight blush, not willing to admit she'd eaten it almost daily since he had recommended it. She looked at his tray and gave a small frown as she examined the contents. "You didn't take any chili? I thought it was to die for."

"They were out," Finn explained as he continued to toy with his pasta salad. "Betty said she'd save me some tomorrow," he added, noticing that the shoulder of her t-shirt had slipped off and exposed the red strap of her sports bra, his mind immediately thinking of her Miss December picture.

"Oh," Rachel replied as she scooped up some chili with her spoon, slipping it between her lips, unaware of Finn's gaze dropping to her mouth. She ate silently as she tried to think how to steer the conversation away from their food and opened her mouth just as Finn spoke again.

"How's your face?" he blurted out, the tips of his ears turning pink as he again cursed his lack of ability to talk around her. "I mean, you look-"

"It's fine," she replied, cutting him off in case he said something about her nose being swollen when it was really just its normal big size. Switching topics quickly, she asked, "How are your practices going?"

"Fine," he smiled, hoping she wouldn't mention the fact that Puck had nailed him in the head. "We had a light day today, just a quick scrimmage and meetings."

"Oh. Lucky." She stirred the chili around for a moment. "We have fitting day today and pictures this afternoon."

His mind instantly become flooded with images of her in the costumes he'd seen last year when the Jets were on Monday Night Football against the Dolphins. Naturally, he'd never gotten to see the costumes in person since the Bengals had played the Jets at home in Ohio last year and he was sorely tempted to stick around the stadium on the off chance he saw her in her uniform. His pants were rapidly getting tighter at the thought and he shifted in his chair, desperately picturing Puck in a ballerina costume to calm himself.

"So, um," he began before getting interrupted as Artie called his name from behind him.

"Finn!" Artie called out, wheeling into the cafeteria. He rolled to a stop at the table, glancing at Rachel. "Oh hey, Rachel."

"Hi Artie," Rachel replied absently as she wondered what Finn had been going to say. She began to think of conversation topics, but stopped when she heard Artie speak again.

"So I know you're finished for the day, but Schue wants to review some tape with you. He's got time now, so he wants you to come up," Artie explained.

Finn cursed mentally, knowing he had no choice, even though he'd much rather stay with Rachel. "Sure," he sighed.

"Great. We'll be in the video room. You can bring your lunch," he offered.

"Now?" he questioned just to make sure.

"Now," Artie affirmed. "Sorry to steal him Rachel."

"It's ok," she said with a false smile. "I need to get going anyway." She pushed away from the table and looked at Finn. "Nice talking to you, Finn."

"You too Rachel," he replied seriously as he stood. "I'll ah, see you around?"

"I'm sure," she nodded. "I better run." She gave him one last smile before she exited the room, unaware of his eyes following her. She walked down the hall, wishing they'd had more time to talk and already running through every moment of that lunch in her head.

* * *

"Did you see?" Quinn insisted Puck closed the door to their usual rendezvous room behind them. She grinned as he pulled her towards him, burying his face in her neck to place hot kisses on her throat. "Did you?"

"Did I what?" he murmured, more concerned with slipping his hands under shirt.

"He was staring at her the whole time," she breathed, blocking his hands from roaming. "Tell me you noticed it. It was _so_ obvious."

"Isn't this a Captain's meeting?" he growled against her skin, his hands once again trying to roam upwards. "Aren't we usually naked when we have these meetings?"

"_Puck_. We have to discuss this," she declared as she pulled his head off her neck. "We don't have time for sex."

"I do," he replied, attempting to put his head back, only to have Quinn stop him. "Come on, gimme 10 minutes then we can talk."

"No. Not till you tell me you saw it." She stepped away from him, crossing her arms as she waited for his response.

"Fine. I noticed him looking at her once or twice," he admitted. "Sex now?"

"No. Now you need to get information out of him about how into her he is," Quinn demanded as she walked out of his arms. "You need to be more help than you were at lunch. What the hell were you talking about back there? All that Christmas talk totally killed the conversation."

"Didn't kill it for me," Puck said with a smirk. "Especially since I may have some information you might like."

"What?" she asked instantly, highly doubting he had anything and was just manipulating her for sex.

"I don't know if I should give it up so fast." He arched an eyebrow. "It's pretty good."

"How good?" she questioned, in spite of herself.

"Really good." He stared at her, a smirk on his face. "So what are you offering?"

She smiled, slowly walking over to him to give him a slow sensual kiss. "That enough?"

"Nope." He pulled her closer. "I'm telling you, this is _good_."

"Fine." She jumped up into his arms, kissing him furiously, her tongue finding its way into his mouth. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Quinn pulled her face away. "Now spill."

"You might have been annoyed by the Christmas comments but I wasn't." He grinned at her before he kissed his way from her throat to her ear before he began murmuring against it. "Bet Huddy didn't mind either since according to his locker, it's Christmas all year long."

"What are you talking about?" Quinn asked, pulling his face up to look him sternly in the eye.

"I'm talking about the fact that Finn has Miss December's picture up in his locker, behind his clothes," Puck explained, moving so that he could pin her against a wall. One hand immediately slipped under her shirt as he elaborated. "Stares at it before every practice."

"_Rachel's _Miss December picture?" Quinn demanded, letting his hand roam where it wanted as long as she got information.

"Uh huh," Puck nodded, placing a hot kiss against her neck as his hand brushed over her breast under her shirt. "He was practically drooling as he stared at it this morning."

"Told you he had a thing for her," Quinn crowed before giving him a peck on the lips.

"A peck? That all I'm getting for that info? Plus I got him to lunch," Puck reminded her. "Wasn't easy either. Evans wanted to go to Hooters for lunch and you know how Hudson feels about boobs. I had to get Artie to call Evans in for a meeting."

"You did good, babe. I think you need to be rewarded," Quinn decided. She slid down his body to lead him over to the desk, jumping on before she pulled him towards her and gave him a scorching kiss, Finn and Rachel forgotten from her mind.

* * *

"I hate fitting day," Rachel muttered under her breath as she followed Quinn into the locker room, having run into her in the hallway on her way there after she had left the cafeteria.

"I don't know why," Quinn replied as she fixed her ponytail, hoping Puck hadn't left any marks she'd have to cover before pictures. "You're the tiniest one on the squad."

"Exactly." Rachel looked down at her chest pointedly. "Sue always makes a crack about it too."

"That wasn't what I meant Rachel," Quinn rolled her eyes as she talked. "Your chest suits your frame. Unlike Holly, who apparently felt going up another cup size would make her waist look smaller." She nodded towards the other girl who was currently admiring herself in the mirror. "Look at those things-it's so obvious they're fake. They're up _**way**_ too high. I wonder if she took the extra weight she was adding into account. Bet you she's going to have to hold the flag the first game."

Rachel swatted Quinn's arm before hissing at her to stop. "Cut it out," she said while fighting back a giggle. "Holly looks good; I'm not surprised that the players check her out while we practice."

"I don't think she's the only one getting looked at," Quinn told her, an eyebrow raised in the hopes that Rachel would catch on.

"Q! Front and center!" Coach Sylvester barked from the center of the room, a large pile of dress bags on the table next to her along with a pile of clothes. "Your first duty as Captain awaits. It's time for the handing out of uniforms."

Quinn hurried over to where Sue stood dressed in her customary tracksuit, although since it was picture day, she'd dressed up the green and white tracksuit with a string of pearls. She glanced down at the stop watch in her hand. "That took 45 seconds, Q. You better work on that speed if you want to stay captain."

"Sorry, Coach. It won't happen again," Quinn promised. "I'm ready to perform my duties as captain."

"Better not," Sue retorted as she picked up her bullhorn, directing it at the rest of the squad.

"Alright ladies. Listen up. Once again, the organization has rejected my requests to have you wear the tracksuit as an homage to one Sue Sylvester and they've insisted that Becky slave all summer to make a series of uniforms designed to cater to the simple male mind. When I call your name, get your bag of specialty costumes from Q and the standard uniform from me. Put on the standard uniform for the pictures and the rest can go in your locker. Got it?"

She waited until the girls nodded before continuing. "No whining or complaining about what number you got or didn't get it either. I'm looking at you Juggs."

All eyes turn to follow Sue's gaze, which was fixed pointedly at Holly who _**always **_complained about getting stuck with a crappy number. "Those of you who were on the team last year, Becky used your last measurements, so if it fits, head out to the photographer for your individual picture. If not, head to over to Becky who is going to fix it ASAP. Q! Mirror!"

Quinn hurried to hand her the small handheld mirror lying next to the pile of garment bags. Sue glanced at herself, giving her trademark scowl into the mirror. Pleased with the result she carried on. "I'll be taking my picture first since I had my annual skin tightening yesterday. After the team picture you have an hour for dinner before your asses better be back here for field practice."

"We have practice _tonight?_" Holly whined. "Why? The boys aren't even here!"

"Lucky for you," Sue sneered. "They might need to use your new boobs as weights."

"Can we just hand out the uniforms?" Quinn asked impatiently as she pawed through the bags trying to find hers.

"Excellent thinking, Q. The rest of you take note. That's what makes a captain," Sue commented as she pulled off her glasses to read from the list of names on her notepad. "Hartner! See if you can get this to fit over those sandbags you decided to add to your chest."

Quinn quickly went through the bags, finding the correct one to hand to Sue, who tossed it at Holly, followed by the standard skirt and halter top.

Holly caught the uniform and gave Sue a glare. "I'm sure they'll just enhance the uniform Coach." Eagerly, she held up the halter top, anxious to see what number she'd been assigned. She pulled out the top and glanced at the number on the back. "96? Who the hell is 96?" She started to slip the top on but her chest wouldn't fit and the top kept popping back up.

"It's Karofsky," someone called out from the back.

Holly was still trying to adjust the top to fit without much success. She got it secure but then was spilling out the top and sides. "Karofsky?" she whined, still trying to adjust the top. "I wanted the hot new guy; you know 88?"

"No bitching about your number Hartner," Sue snarled. "Do it again and you won't stand in the front for anymore dances."

Holly closed her mouth and turned to bend over to try and hoist her breasts into the costume. As soon as one was in the other would spill out and if she moved them too far side, she had side boob spilling out from underneath.

"Better get that under control, Juggs. I'm not getting slapped with a fine for putting on a live porno again," Sue demanded, aiming her bullhorn at Quinn. "Who's next, Q?"

Quinn eyed the next uniform in front of Sue and noticed it was number 88. She reached for the bag and turned it over, noticing how tiny it was but not finding the name. "This one has to be Rachel's Coach; it's tiny."

"Excellent thinking, Q! That's quality captainship right there," Sue praised, as she held the top up, prepared to toss it to Rachel. "Berry! Try that on; maybe it'll fit and Becky won't have to make your top using the pattern for a toddler's bathing suit this year."

Cheeks burning with mortification Rachel took the top and slipped it on. She looked down at her chest, surprised that it actually fit and wouldn't have to be altered. If she wasn't mistaken, the way the top fit it looked like she actually had cleavage.

"Well look who's just become a woman and sprouted a pair of boobs!" Sue barked into her bullhorn, making Rachel's cheeks burn even more. "Not as big as the man boobs Sandy's sporting, but not bad."

Her humiliation of Rachel complete, she turned her attention back to the uniforms, quickly handing out the rest with Quinn. Rachel put on the rest of the uniform, sneaking glances at the mirror in her locker, admiring her new found cleavage. She pulled on the hem of the skirt, trying to make it cover more of her thigh.

"Stop it," Quinn hissed as she put on her own uniform. "You look great."

"It seems shorter than last year Quinn," Rachel said as she pulled on the hem again. "I mean, I've seen dinner napkins bigger than this."

Quinn gave her a once over before saying again, "You look great Rachel. Now stop pulling it and get in line."

As was her custom before any appearance, Sue had them stand in a straight line while she looked over everyone critically. She walked down the line, stopping when she got to Holly. "Well Hartner, guess your little fun bags didn't enhance the costume like you thought. You take that top to Becky and have her let it out and then get your pictures." She continued walking down the line, nodding in approval of the rest of the girls. Reaching Rachel she stopped again as she looked her over. "Incredible Berry; that top actually makes it look like you have a chest. It's almost as good as your Miss December picture." Her gaze swept up the line once more before she gave a satisfied nod. "Don't forget. One hour after pictures be back and ready to work."

Her directive issued, she stalked from the locker room and headed to get her own picture taken.

The girls all headed for their lockers to double check their makeup and hair before taking their picture. It was quiet for a few moments while everyone performed some last minute touch ups. The silence was short lived as Holly was still fuming over the fact that her costume had to be let out _**and**_ she had a shitty number.

"I can't believe I got Karofsky's number," Holly pouted. "He's such a dick. I wanted #88." She looked over at Rachel who was touching up her lipstick. "I think it's ironic that the smallest top has #88 on it."

"Why's that?" Quinn asked as she applied some blush, checking surreptiously for hickeys as she went, pleased when she didn't find any.

"Well it's just funny," Holly commented as her gaze roamed over Rachel, gesturing at her chest. "I bet there isn't anything _small_ on him. I mean, have you seen how big his hands are?"

"Really Holly? Is that all you can think of?" Quinn retorted, rolling her eyes as she glanced at Holly in the mirror.

Rachel chose not to comment even though she had _definitely _noticed number 88's hand size as well as a few of his other attributes. His hands were big, but it worked for him because he was so tall. When she had seen him cradle the ball after a catch once she'd wondered how it would feel to be the one being cradled by him. She allowed herself to get lost in the idea, making her face flush without her realizing it.

Rachel may not have realized she was blushing but Quinn did. She stared at Rachel for a moment but unable to comment since the other girls were now building upon Holly's statement.

"I like his eyes," Nikki chimed in from next to Holly. "They always look so intense. I bet he looks like that during sex." She fanned her face as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Rachel's blush deepened at the words though she still didn't respond to either of the girls. It's not like she was a prude, she just didn't want to join in on the pointless locker room gossip. The last thing she needed was these girls talking about how she'd never have a chance with him.

"I'm going to have to talk to him soon, let him get a look at the girls." Holly turned and looked at herself in the mirror, again trying to squeeze her chest into the too tight top.

Rachel frowned at Holly's words as she looked at her own small chest. "What about Ryan?" she blurted out, referring to Holly's boyfriend of a year.

Holly shrugged at her, a grin on her face. "Never hurts to have a backup plan."

Rachel rolled her eyes at her before speaking. "You know you can't date him, it's in Coach's rules as well as the organization's rules."

"Who said anything about dating? I just wanna see how good he is in bed. If he's as good as I think, I'll keep him my dirty little secret until I'm done with him." Holly smiled at the remaining girls. "I'm going to have to start carrying those extra large condoms; you never know when the opportunity will present itself."

Quinn just laughed at Holly thinking she had a chance with Finn, wishing she could announce that Finn had Rachel's picture in his locker. But since Rachel herself was unaware of that fact, she couldn't exactly blurt that out, even though that would just bite Holly in the ass.

"What are you laughing at?" Holly asked, staring at Quinn.

"The fact that you want to start carrying extra large condoms in your purse on the off chance he'll want to be with you." Quinn just shook her head. "Who's to say he'll need extra large ones anyway?"

Holly just stared at her like she was an idiot. "Obviously you haven't looked at him; you'd know. Everything about him is the opposite of Rachel which is why it's so ironic she got his number," she explained with a shrug.

Rachel's gaze snapped up to meet Holly's. "At least I can fit in a uniform," she said in an attempt to switch the subject off of Finn.

"That's about the only thing about #88 you fit," Holly quipped.

Rachel just rolled her eyes as she checked her hair one more time. "Not that it'll ever be an issue but I'm sure that wouldn't be the only thing that would fit."

"Oh yeah? You think you can take someone his size?" Holly laughed, shaking her head at Rachel, aware that the rest of the room had fallen silent. She opened her compact and checked her make up again. "Although I'd imagine even the super tiny water boy would be too much for you."

"You don't even know his size Holly!" Rachel said heatedly as she too noticed the attention they'd attracted.

"I know what I know," Holly smirked.

"It's her secret talent," Nikki added. "She uses it to evaluate guys when we go to the bar."

Rachel snorted. "And here I've always evaluated potential boyfriends by their personality and compatibility. Stupid me, I never thought to use penis size."

"That's because you're a prude," Holly announced, snapping her compact shut. "But if you need proof, go get his cup. I dare you."

Everyone in the room froze while waiting for Rachel to respond. Her mouth hung open for a moment before she retorted. "I'm sorry, did you just dare me? Are we back in junior high?"

"You chicken?" Holly asked with a smirk. "I'd go get it but they're all gone for the day and I'd rather be there to help him take it off."

"She's not chicken," Quinn announced as she realized this was a chance for Rachel to see her picture in Finn's locker. "Are you, Rachel?"

Dumbfounded, Rachel stared at Quinn. "No, I'm not a chicken but…"

"Then it's settled," Holly said while staring at the duo. "After our pictures go get it and bring it back here. Then we'll see who's right."

"Fine. Now you better get your uniform to Becky," Quinn directed, not wanting to give Rachel the chance to back out. "The rest of you go get your pictures. There's nothing to see here...yet." Quinn smiled at Rachel who stood rooted to her spot.

As the room emptied out Rachel looked at Quinn. "What the hell, Quinn?" she hissed at her.

"Oh please. It's two seconds of your life. You'll go in, find his locker and cup and bam you're back here shutting all these girls up," Quinn said briskly as they walked towards the door. Trying to think of a way to get Rachel to find her picture she casually added, "You know, if you can't find it, I'd check behind the uniforms in the lockers."

"Why would I look there?" Rachel asked as they walked down the hall. "Am I really going to do this?" She pressed a hand to her stomach which was suddenly swirling with nerves.

"Um, I don't know I think I heard on ESPN once a player say he kept his there," Quinn lied flippantly. "And yeah you're doing it," she said as she exited the locker room and headed out for pictures, pleased that Rachel would soon be finding out about the picture.

Even if she hadn't come up with the plan herself.

* * *

**AN: Who can resist a dare right?! Thanks for the read and please feel free to review!**

**A huge thank you also to mida212 for reconstructing this with me today-so funny to look back at those early e mails regarding this :)  
**


	5. The Welcoming Committee

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee...I just wish I did :)**

* * *

"Alright ladies, I think we got it!" The photographer called out as he lowered his camera, signaling that the shoot was over.

Rachel sighed as she eased herself into a sitting position, part of her glad they were _finally_ done with the pictures, while another part of her wished the pictures had taken longer so she wouldn't have time to complete the dare before practice. She heard the rest of the crew disperse from behind her, still surprised that the photographer had placed her in the front row for the group picture, instructing her to lay propped up on her elbow on her side like Quinn, who was positioned right next to her, opposite of Holly and Brittany while the rest of the Crew knelt or stood behind them. Watching as some of the other Crew members began to move around the room she stood up, tugging at the bottom of her skirt as she did so.

Quinn rolled her eyes as she too got to her feet, slapping Rachel's hand away from her skirt. "Would you stop pulling on it? It's _fine_," she said insistently.

"I'm telling you it's shorter than last year," Rachel tossed back as she tugged at the hem again. "I swear if I bent over-"

"Nobody would see a thing," Quinn interjected with a roll of her eyes. "It's not like you're not wearing anything under it," she reminded her."You know Sue makes sure that the panties are attached-she's not taking any chances that someone would 'forget' to wear them on game day," she said dryly while looking at Holly.

"I know that-" Rachel began.

"Then stop worrying about it," Quinn shrugged. "You'll be fine."

"Aw, trying to find a way getting 88's cup?"Holly asked with a smirk as she strolled by, stopping as she heard the tail end of Quinn and Rachel's conversation.

"No," Quinn assured her. "Just talking about the new routine."

"Good," Holly smiled slyly."Because I can't _wait_ to see his cup. Come on Nikki, let's go" she called out, waiting as the brunette crossed over to her before waving to Quinn and Rachel. "See you girls in the locker room."

Rachel smiled weakly in return, waving at them as they walked away."Quinn, I can't do this," she said as she turned to face Quinn.

"Oh stop it, it's not like you've never seen the inside of a locker room before," Quinn replied as she headed towards the door, exiting the room and starting down the hallway.

"I've seen _our_ locker room," Rachel muttered as she followed her. "I've never seen their locker room."

"Just go in and grab the cup," Quinn told her as she led her towards the locker room. "Like I said, check behind his jersey," she reminded her, excited for Rachel to discover her picture there.

Rachel followed along next to her, gnawing at her bottom lip. "You're going to wait for me right?"

Quinn stopped just outside the men's locker room door. "I can't, I have to help Sue pick out which picture of herself to send to Rod-she's sure he'll come crawling back from Andrea once he sees it," Quinn said as she rolled her eyes again.

"You're not going to wait?" Rachel cried as she grabbed Quinn's arm to prevent her from walking away.

"Rachel," Quinn laughed as she peeled Rachel's hand off her. "Just go do it ok? I'll see you in the locker room," she said firmly before walking away quickly, hoping Rachel followed her hint and found the picture.

Rachel pulled back the heavy door to the locker room and quickly stepped inside, cursing Quinn for accepting this dare on her behalf. She walked among the row of lockers, looking up at the tops of them to try and find his name, a sigh of relief escaping as she located it. Quickly, she walked over to it and stared for a moment as she tried to think of the most logical place to look. Wanting to get out of there as quick as possible, she decided to follow Quinn's advice and check behind his uniforms first, hoping Quinn had heard that ESPN report correctly. She pushed his clothes to the side and was stunned to see her own face staring back at her.

She continued to stare at the picture of herself in the Miss December costume, mouth agape in the shock of finding it there. Her mind forgot for a moment what she was supposed to be looking for as she let the uniforms fall back. Thinking this was some kind of team joke she went to the locker on the right and pulled the uniforms back wondering which picture she'd find there.

There wasn't one.

Maybe they just missed a locker, she told herself as she went and checked the next one over.

Nothing.

Not convinced, she checked a few more lockers, her quest for the cup completely forgotten. Still not finding any other pictures she went back to Finn's and lifted the uniforms again to make sure she hadn't imagined seeing her picture there. No, that was definitely her picture, but she just couldn't figure out _why _it was there. She puzzled over it for a moment before remembering the reason she was there in the first place. She began rummaging through the locker intent on finding the cup so she could get back to her locker room and discuss this with Quinn, her mind thinking up possible reasons why her picture would be hanging, ranging from they were using it for target practice for the kicker to some sort of public humiliation planned for opening day.

She was so focused on her task and thinking of motives that she didn't hear footsteps approaching behind her.

She finally located the cup in a little cubby and pulled it out, turning it over in her hand with a smile. Not that she'd give Holly the satisfaction, but it appeared she'd been right. Mission accomplished, she turned only to find #88 himself staring at her across the locker room.

Horrified, she stayed rooted to the spot unsure of what to do or say as Finn stared at her. He'd obviously just come out of the shower judging by his wet hair and the towel slung around his waist and seemed just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

He continued to stare at her, blinking slowly as if to make sure he wasn't imagining things. She watched him open his eyes to see her still standing there, clad in her uniform with his number on it and the intensity of his gaze made her shift. She stayed silent her eyes following his as his gaze swept down her body then back up, finally noticing what she had in her hand.

"You have my cup," he blurted out.

"You have my picture," she retorted, watching as the tips of his ears turned pink.

He continued to stare at her, still shocked at the fact that she was in the locker room. "Um…"

"What are you even doing here? Your practice was done hours ago," she accused, as if he was the one intruding.

"I hit the weight room," he started to explain quickly even though she still wasn't listening.

"And why is that picture even in there anyway?" she continued without giving him a chance to reply. "Is it some kind of joke?"

"No! I…" He flushed, seemingly at a loss for words.

"Is. This. A. Joke," she repeated, enunciating every word.

"No! It…." he stammered, his fingers running through his hair. She followed the path of his fingers with her eyes, wondering if his hair was as soft as she thought.

"Because let me assure you," she continued, her face flushing with embarrassment from both the idea of her picture being a joke and what she'd just thought. "It is most definitely _not _funny." Her mind traveled back to Holly's insults earlier in their locker room and she continued speaking, chest heaving in her uniform as she became more agitated. "I may not be the prettiest girl on the squad but that doesn't mean you get to humiliate me by using my picture for a dartboard. Let me guess. Whoever hits my nose gets a bullseye?"

He said nothing as he stared at her, which only added to her ire. "And what about my nonexistent boobs? How much are those worth? I bet you all had a good laugh at that picture, everyone else does. Is that why it's there? You look at it when you need a laugh? "

"It was the best picture in the calendar!" he blurted out as his voice rose, effectively silencing her rant.

She stared at him dumbfounded as she involuntarily gripped the cup harder in her hand. "What did you say?" she whispered as she looked at him.

He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck as he shifted uncomfortably. His face went scarlet as he repeated his words in a low voice. "It was the best picture in the calendar."

To say she was stunned would be an understatement. Here was the hottest guy on the team and he was saying he liked _her _picture best. She fought back a smile as she thought of what Holly would say if she found out that her picture was in his locker. Embarrassed, she looked down at her hand, noticing that she was still holding his cup and wondered now how she'd get it back to her locker room.

He shifted his weight as he looked at her. "How did you find the picture anyway?"

Rachel's mind, still thrown by the fact that he liked her picture, scrambled to come up with a reason to be in the locker room. "Um…Well you're new to the team and I'm the head of the Welcoming Committee." Water continued to drip down his chest and her eyes followed the drops down to the towel at his waist.

He cocked his head to the side and took a step closer to her. "Welcoming Committee?"

"Uh huh," she said while still watching the water run down his chest.

"So what are you supposed to do?"

Her mind scrambled as she tried to come up with an answer. "Welcome you to the team of course."

"Didn't Mr. Ryerson and Coach Schuester do that when they took me into Manhattan?"

She bit her lip as she tried to figure out a way to get out of this. "Um…well the Flight Crew welcomes you in other ways. We make sure your locker is clean."

He eyed the cup in her hand. "By taking my cup?"

Her gaze dropped back to his towel and she unconsciously licked her lips. "Well, ESPN was doing a story on um the making of cups," she said as she recalled Quinn's words. "And we just wanted to make sure that your cup was up to par. We'd hate for you to get hurt due to poor manufacturing."

"We?" he asked, looking to see if there were more members of the Flight Crew there.

"I mean me. As the head of the Welcoming Committee, it's my job to check the lockers and the cups." She looked at his chest, noticing the water still clinging to it.

"And were they up to par?" he asked, his eyes focused on her face.

"Um…your locker is fine," she whispered as she licked at her lips nervously. She noticed the impressive bulge forming under his towel and quickly brought her eyes back up to his face. "But um, I uh, still need to check and uh, clean your cup. Most players keep them behind the uniforms, you know."

He shifted his feet, trying to adjust himself without being obvious. It didn't help that he saw her little pink tongue dart out to lick her lips causing him to let out a groan at the motion and her eyes flew back to his face. He tried to get a handle on the conversation again. "Um nope, that's not where I keep it."

She let out a nervous giggle as she held up the cup. "I figured that out."

His lips quirked at her giggle and his gaze fell back to her lips. They just looked so soft.

She bit her lower lip nervously as she realized where he was looking. "Right, so uh, I'll leave you be while I go check this for manufacturing defects."

Summoning up every bit of pride she could, she attempted to walk towards the door, feeling his eyes boring into her.

"That picture is amazing, you know."

His words stopped her in her tracks and she slowly turned around. "You're not just saying that?"

He stared at her, his voice low. "No. It was the best picture in that calendar. It um…brings me luck."

"How so?" She quirked her head at him as she awaited his answer, willing her eyes not to focus on the bulge under his towel.

He flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You look so confident in that picture and um, I really like that, so I look at it before every practice and game."

Her face fell at his words. So he _didn't _think she was pretty, he just liked what the camera portrayed, although that didn't explain why he was clearly aroused. "Oh."

"It's not true what they say either," Finn blurted out, desperately trying to keep his eyes on her face and not on her body.

She placed a hand on her hip, willing herself not to cry for even entertaining the idea that he'd hung her picture up because he thought she was pretty. "What's not true?"

He shuffled his feet as he looked down. "Um…before what you said about your nose and boobs. It's not true."

She stared at him, a bubble of hope springing up inside her. "What do you mean?"

"Well um…yeah it's true your nose is big, but it's what makes you you, you know?" he rambled nervously. "And your boobs are tiny, but they're awesome. I mean, um not that I've ever seen them but they _look _awesome. Much better than all the fake boobage the other girls have and uh, I'm going to shut up now."

She stayed silent for a moment, taking in his words, her heart beginning to beat faster in her chest. Maybe it wasn't the picture he liked, maybe it really was her. "Do you really mean that?"

"How can you not see how beautiful you are?" He looked down at the floor again, embarrassed. "I'm the freak, not you. My head is shaped like a potato and I've been told I have puffy pyramid shaped nipples."

She looked at him in surprise, wondering how he could possibly think that about himself. "Whoever says that doesn't know what they're talking about. Your chest is lovely and your head is just the right shape. It bears no resemblance to the tuber family."

He peeked up at her, his face flushing. "Stop."

"It's true," Rachel insisted firmly. "Whoever said that wishes they looked like you."

"So uh I guess we're both insecure." He shuffled his feet again as he smiled at her.

She gave a small smile in return. "I guess so."

The smile he gave her made her heart melt and the intensity of his gaze made her flush. She suddenly felt like the room was spinning as she blurted out her next words. "You know, you can kiss me if you want to."

His eyes went wide at her words. "I want to."

She dropped the cup as he walked towards her still damp from his shower, rooted to the floor in complete disbelief that this was actually happening. Her eyes followed a stray droplet of water as it snaked down his chest into the towel that was slung over his hips. Absolutely intoxicated by the sight of him, she couldn't help but react with a small whimper as his hand traced her cheek gently before sliding behind her neck to cup the back of her head. He gave her a smile as his head dipped towards hers, finally allowing their mouths to meet.

It started out as a whisper of a kiss but it didn't take long for his tongue to trace her lips, coaxing her to let him inside. Rising up on her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to get closer to him as she sighed into his mouth.

His hand slid down from her neck to settle on her hips, drawing her closer, his arousal pressing firmly into her. They stayed like that for a few minutes, losing themselves in their kisses. Wanting to be even closer, he squeezed her hips and lifted her slightly off the ground, moaning as she wrapped her legs around his waist, the towel coming undone and falling away at her movement. His hands moved from her hips to her ass, holding her to him as he walked them towards one of the trainer's tables, easing her down onto it gently.

Her chest heaving, she stared in awe at his nude body, her eyes taking in every detail of him. Still in complete shock that this was happening, she tore her eyes from his body as she felt his hands slip behind her head, pulling her face up to look at him before his lips reattached themselves to hers in a serious of furious kisses.

His left hand fisted in her hair pulling her head back and exposing the hollow of her throat, causing her to whimper. Finn's lips left hers and made a trail down her neck, finding just the right spot to gently suck before soothing the red mark with his tongue. He heard her breath hitch and smiled against her skin as he kissed his way down to the knot that tied her shirt between her breasts.

His right hand was slowly creeping up to caress her knee, slightly pushing her legs further apart to allow him to stand between them more comfortably. He lifted his head while tracing the skin beneath the hem of her shirt, his eyes silently asking if he could take it off.

Just as silent she gave her answer, crossing her arms underneath the short shirt to pull it off. She shook her hair back off her shoulders as she stared at him, now clad in only the tiny skirt, a skirt that not 10 minutes ago had felt indecent but now felt like entirely too much clothing. Pulling him to her, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her tongue finding its way back into his mouth as his hands streaked up her sides to her chest.

Finn cupped her breasts in his hands, his thumbs circling her already hardened nipples as she arched her back. Fingers plucking at her stiff peaks, he nibbled at her lips before he kissed his way down her throat to her chest, his mouth replacing his hands which had slipped back down to caress her thighs. As his mouth closed over her nipple, his hand crept under her skirt, running his fingers over her core.

Rachel tugged on his hair, bringing his mouth back to hers as she wrapped her legs around his waist again, rocking her hips against his prominent arousal. Her arms linked around his neck as she pushed herself off the table, his hands immediately moving to her rear to steady her against him. Giving him one final kiss, she reclaimed her tongue and stared into his eyes as she unlocked her legs and slowly slid down his body, loving the contrast between his hard skin and her own soft skin. Once back at her own height, she stared at him as her hands reached behind her to unzip her skirt, allowing it to fall to the ground. Stark naked save for her boots, she kicked the skirt away as she settled back onto the table, her gaze never leaving his as she pulled him in for a steamy kiss.

She could feel his arousal pressed against her as she sat at the edge of the table, the thought of him being so aroused by _her _making her feel incredible. Her hands tangled in his hair and she directed his mouth back to her breasts, back arching when he suckled her. Slipping one hand from his hair she ran it down his back, loving the feel of his muscles bunching under her touch. When she reached his hips she lightened her touch, stroking with just the tips of her fingers as she brought her hands around to his erection.

He groaned against her breast when he felt her tiny hand encircle his length, the action making his hips buck involuntarily under her touch. "Rach…"

"Mmm, yes Finn?" she purred as she continued to stroke.

"You have to stop or-"

She stilled her movements immediately but didn't let go of his erection as she looked up at him, trying to read his face. Unsure of why exactly he wanted her to stop, she licked her lips. "Was I doing something wrong?" she asked, suddenly nervous that she had made a mistake, or worse, he was regretting doing this with _her_. Not knowing what else to do, her hand increased her stroking, stopping only when his own hand came down and wrapped around hers.

"No, I just really want to be inside you." Keeping his eyes on hers, he kissed her hungrily again before pulling away. He swiftly crossed to Puck's locker and grabbed a condom from the box that he knew Puck kept in there. He ripped the packet open as he made his way back to the trainer's table and a waiting Rachel, neither bothering to conceal the lust in their eyes. Reclaiming his spot between her legs, he started to slide the condom on only to feel her hand come down to finish the job, her hand stroking him firmly once from base to tip, causing him to thrust his hips into her hand.

Rachel removed her hand from him, and leaned back on her elbows, sliding to the edge of the table in silent invitation, feeling his arousal brush across her center. Just that slight bit of contact was making her crazy, and she writhed a little, hoping he wasn't changing his mind since he was just staring at her. "_Finn_…"

Her voice snapping himself out of his stupor, Finn slid inside her slowly, swallowing her moan with a kiss. He stayed where he was for a moment, amazed at how _incredible _it felt to be inside her. It felt as if she had been made for him, and he rested his hands over hers on the edge of the table, linking them as they quickly found their rhythm. Tearing his lips from hers he buried his face in her throat, softly sucking on her skin as he thrust into her, thrilled by her increasingly louder breathy moans. Wanting her to come first, he slipped a hand between their bodies and rubbed his fingers over her, feeling her walls clench around him as she screamed. The sound of his name being ripped from her lips in a primal scream sent him over the edge and his own cry of release quickly followed.

Slightly weak kneed, he picked her up while he sat on the table, holding her close to his body. They kissed slowly, allowing their heart rates to calm.

"That was a better welcoming than a trip to Manhattan," he blurted out before he realized how lame that sounded. "I mean, it was great, and um…" his voice trailed off as he dropped his head to her shoulder, clearly embarrassed. He felt her shoulders shaking lightly and looked up to find her laughing at him. He blew out a relieved breath.

"I'm glad you think so," she managed before her head fell back in laughter.

He grinned in return, loving the sound of her laughter bouncing off the walls. "I really do, but you know I'm still not feeling like a part of the team." He shifted slightly on the table so that he could set her down, wincing when he felt her boots still stick to his skin. He knelt between her legs and pressed a kiss to her thigh, enjoying her squirm as he unzipped the boot on her right leg. He peeled it slowly down her leg before dropping it next to her uniform on the floor.

"Well we can't have that," she breathed out as his lips kissed down her leg. She wiggled on the table as he began to take off her other boot. The muscles in her calf tightened as he ran his tongue up it teasingly and her head fell back as she moaned his name.

"Hmm you seem to be a little tense, Rachel," he commented as he kissed way up her leg, pausing inches away from her center. Enjoying the way she was writhing on the table he lightly bit her thigh causing her to moan and pull his head closer to her. "Can't have the head of the welcoming committee tense you know," he teased as he kissed her other thigh.

Breathless she whimpered, "Mmm I think you're right. I really need to find a way to relax." Feeling him smile against her leg she raised her hips in a silent plea for him to touch her. She groaned as instead of giving her what she so desperately wanted he stood and crossed back to Puck's locker and grabbed the box of condoms.

Rachel watched as he picked up the box, wondering if he expected to use all of them. "That's a little ambitious," she said as she bit her lip.

He placed it next to her and leaned over placing his lips almost on hers. "Ambitious huh? And here I was just trying to help you relax. But if you don't want to-"

He couldn't finish the thought as she closed the distance between their mouths with a searing kiss. She pulled back after a few moments, a coy smile on her face. "Oh I want to."

"Then I think I know just what you need." His mouth crashed down onto hers while he gently stroked his hands down to her hips. Her nails were digging into his back as she moaned but he couldn't have cared less as he picked her up from the trainer's table. Her hand reached down and blindly grabbed the box of condoms before he carried her towards another section of the locker room.

She pulled her mouth from his and kissed her way down his neck. His hands tightened on her and she could feel his arousal pressing against her as she bit his neck. Her mouth had just branded him when she felt him start to step down. Curious as to where they were, she opened her eyes and immediately grinned at their new location.

"You really do know how to relax a girl don't you?" she teased as he settled on the bench in the whirlpool tub, positioning Rachel's legs on either side of his lap to face him. His hands gripped her ass, pulling her close to him as her elbows rested on his shoulders, her hands gripping his head.

Their lips locked and he lazily traced her lips with his tongue while his hands slipped up and down her body in teasing circles. She sighed against his mouth while bringing both arms up around his neck before sliding her fingers into his hair. The warm water combined with his touch served to relax and arouse her at the same time and she was content to stay kissing for a few minutes before the stirring in her loins dictated otherwise. Wanting more, she brought his hands to her breasts, encouraging him to touch her.

His hand ghosted over her breasts, lightly tugging on her stiff nipples. "You starting to relax Rach?"

Too lost in his touch she barely registered his use of a nickname. "Mhmmm; so good."

"I can make it even better," he said confidently. Removing his hands from her breasts he took her hips and scooped her up as he stood. He gently turned her around, placing her on her knees on the bench, facing the wall of the whirlpool. He brought his left hand down to her center lightly stroking her while his right hand flipped a switch on the wall.

She gasped when he turned on the jets and the water pulsed against her. Almost unbearably aroused she leaned back against his chest, lifting her arm to pull his face to hers for a searing kiss. The stroking of his fingers increased and she threw her head back with a moan, giving him access to her throat.

Slipping his fingers inside her, Finn increased his stroking while leaning down and placing his mouth against her ear. "C'mon Rach, let go for me."

The combination of his breath and voice in her ear and his fingers working their magic inside her elicited a breathy moan as she did as he asked. Her body flushed as she tightened around his fingers and he placed gentle kisses all along her neck until he felt her go boneless against him.

"Feel better?" he asked smugly while turning her back around to face him.

"Mhmm, definitely good, but I think you could be better," she answered, glancing pointedly at his arousal. She stepped off the bench and kissed his chest, pushing him back until he was sitting on the top step leading into the whirlpool.

He sat down with a smile, putting his hands again on her hips to pull her between his legs. "This is nice," he murmured as she began peppering his chest with kisses.

"Well it's only fair that you relax too, Finn," she replied coyly as her hand slipped between their bodies and encircled his length. Stroking him lightly she kissed her way down his chest until she reached his arousal. Her eyes fixated on him as she settled onto a lower step between his legs, her tongue darting out to flick over the tip of his erection. Taking the groan that escaped his lips as a sign to keep going, she slowly began to lick him from base to tip while her hands softly fondled his testicles.

His gaze dropped to hers as he fisted his hand in her hair again, silently pleading with her not to tease. He let out a hiss of pleasure as her nails gently scratched his upper thigh while she took him into her mouth. She hummed softly as she bobbed up and down, causing his head to drop back in pleasure while his hand urged her further down onto him, a soft _"Fuck" _escaping as she complied. Unable to resist, he looked down at her only to find her looking right back at him as she lifted her head, her tongue swirling around his length before easing her mouth back over him.

She was bringing him to the brink quickly and he wanted desperately to be inside her again. His hand fumbled for the box of condoms, pulling one out as he lifted her head from his lap. Breathing heavily, he said, "You know what else is relaxing?"

Smirking up at him, she took the condom packet, opening it and tossing the wrapper aside. She teasingly rolled it on, asking, "Hmmm what, Finn?"

"Sex. Sex is known to relax and relieve tension," he breathed out as he led her back to the bench. He sat down and positioned her over him. "OMGFACTS tweeted it the other day."

She paused before slowly sinking down onto his length. "You want to tell me what you read about sex or actually have it?" Slowly she raised herself back up to her knees before lowering herself once more.

In answer he gripped her hips, helping her maneuver. "Have it," he groaned before kissing her.

She placed her hands on his shoulders as she swiveled her hips under the water. His fingers would surely leave bruises but she honestly didn't care.

She just wanted him.

The height of the bench gave him perfect access to her breasts as she rose and fell over him. His tongue reached out and flicked across the peak of her breast before sucking it into his mouth, loving the throaty moans she was giving.

"_Oh God, Finn_!" She pressed his face to her breast as she moved faster. His hand slid between them and began stroking her, causing her to clench around him as she came, screaming his name. "_Finn_!"

He held her hips in place and thrust inside her twice more before coming undone himself. Burying his face in her neck, he groaned through his release before dropping his head back against the cool tile, his mouth open as he breathed heavily.

Rachel's head dropped forward, landing on his shoulder as his fingers began to loosen their hold on her hips. Her eyes snapped open as his hands fell to her thighs, lightly squeezing them under the water. Automatically assuming he wanted her to move, she eased off his lap while looking at the satisfied expression on Finn's face, amazed that she'd gotten such a reaction from him.

"_Fuck_…" he murmured; his eyes still closed as his head rested against the tile. "_Fuck_…"

Immediately she began to doubt herself, thinking he probably thought this was just all part of a stupid welcoming committee, or worse, a _mistake_. Horrified at the thought, she slowly backed away from him. Unsure of how to make her exit before he realized he'd slept with her and not someone hotter, her eyes darted around the room not noticing he was looking at her.

His eyes followed her as she moved off his lap, his hand instinctively reaching out for her. "Where are you going?" he asked, sitting up straighter.

"I…I have to get back," she replied, while looking around for something to cover herself with. Finding nothing, she settled for crossing her arm over her breasts.

"You do?" he asked, disappointed that she was going to leave so quickly and even more disappointed that she was covering her breasts. His hand reached out to uncover her, surprised when she moved out of his reach.

"Yes." She nodded, avoiding his eyes while still keeping her arm firmly over her breasts. "We have a late practice and I really need to go."

"Oh," Finn said softly as he watched her move to the steps and climb out, her other hand now covering her lower region. He pushed himself off the bench, climbing out just as she reached the table with the towels. Finn watched as she secured a towel around her body, a frown crossing his face as it covered her.

Rachel caught the expression on his face and began to walk back to the locker room, sure he was frowning because he'd just realized he'd slept with _her_. Her cheeks were flaming as she walked to the trainer's table, snatching up her clothes in one hand as she tried to grab her boots with the other, her jerky movements causing the towel to come undone. She clutched her clothes to her chest to try and hold the towel up but she wasn't fast enough and the towel fell to the floor, landing almost where her clothes had fallen. Mortified, Rachel ducked into one of the bathroom stalls by the showers, closing the door just as Finn approached, a towel once again slung around his hips.

"Rach?" Finn called from outside the door, wondering why she was dressing in the bathroom stall. "You ok?"

Her hands trembled as she began to redress, shocked at what she'd just done. "I'm fine," she replied, fighting to keep her voice natural.

"Ok." He nodded even though she couldn't see him. "Listen-"

"I get it Finn, you don't have to explain," Rachel told him through the door, assuming he was going to say what had just happened was a fluke.

"I was going to ask if I could have your number," he said, puzzled as to what she thought he'd be explaining.

She unlocked the stall door, opening it slightly to peek around it, her eyes wide. "You want my phone number?" she repeated. "Why?"

"Um, so I can call you sometime?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, watching as she continued to peek around the door and beginning to wonder what he'd done wrong.

"You _really _want my number?" she repeated, staring at him blankly before shaking her head in disbelief as she opened the door wider and walked past him. She reentered the locker room and sat down on a bench to pull on her boots.

"Yeah," he replied eagerly as he followed her, grabbing a sharpie from the table outside the trainer's office to give her. "I, uh, don't have a pen," he said as he offered her the sharpie.

Rachel took it, wondering why he didn't just program it in his phone before she realized he was probably just being polite. Calling on a confidence she didn't truly feel, she walked a circle around him, before stopping at his right hip. Quickly, she wrote her number right above the line of the towel. She gave him a tiny smile as she capped the sharpie. "There."

He twisted his body to examine her handiwork, his skin feeling like it was on fire where she had written her number.

"Thanks," he murmured while staring into her eyes.

"You're welcome," Rachel replied, flashing him a polite smile, positive he'd never use the number. She began backing towards the door, intent on getting back to her locker room before she jumped his bones again. Her gaze fell upon his cup on the floor and she bit her lip as she remembered why she had really gone into the locker room. She walked back over to it, chewing on her bottom lip as she picked it up.

Finn saw her hesitation and walked over. "Is it not clean enough anymore?" he teased.

"Well," she began with a blush. "It is but…" her voice trailed off as she thought of how to explain this. "I'm trying to train some new girls for the Welcoming Committee," she began. "And some didn't know what a cup looked like, so I thought maybe I could borrow one."

"You want to take my cup back?" he asked her, stunned.

"No!" she said. "I don't want to take _yours._" Now that she'd seen him, she didn't want to share him with anyone. She tossed it back in the locker and looked at him.

Finn smiled at her as he thought of a solution, walking over to grab Karofsky's cup from his locker. "Here, take this one," he said with a laugh.

She looked down at the cup in her hand. "You sure?"

"Absolutely," he said firmly. "He's an ass; he deserves it."

Rachel smiled up and rose up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks," she said before walking away again. She paused at the door and looked back at him with a shy smile. "Welcome to the team."

"I'll call you," he called out quickly, watching as she pushed on the door and took a step from the room.

Rachel kept walking, sure he never would.

* * *

Her legs were slightly unsteady as she walked back towards her locker room, hoping to slip in unnoticed. When she reached the door she glanced down quickly to make sure that her uniform was in place and covering the marks that Finn had left. Satisfied that the top covered the red spot on her left breast she tugged her skirt a little lower, telling herself that the bite on the inside of her thigh wouldn't show. She looked at the cup in her hand with a small smile, glad she wasn't actually bringing back Finn's. Shoulders pulled back and head high she pushed open the door and headed straight for her locker.

She had barely taken two steps when Holly called out, "Hey! Look who's back. We thought you got lost Berry." The red head looked at Rachel expectantly as she slipped on a pair of short shorts and a tank top. "Well, did you find his cup?"

Rachel stared coolly at the girl before bringing her right hand up and tossing the cup at Holly, forcing the other girl to catch it. Seeing it land in Holly's outstretched hand, Rachel felt a satisfied smirk creep onto her face as everyone else crowded around to see it. She stared at the group for a moment before starting towards her locker again.

Holly pursed her lips while she examined the cup. She turned it over in her hand as a small crowd gathered around, all curious to see what Finn's cup actually looked like. "This is it?"

"The athletic supporter of one Finn Hudson, as requested," Rachel responded, her tone smug as she turned back to face Holly. "Is there a problem?" She placed her hands on her hips and quirked an eyebrow while she waited for an answer.

"It's not as big as I thought it would be, considering the size of his hands," Holly remarked, looking at the group and seeing them all nod back at her in agreement. She held it away from her body trying to see if giving it some distance provided the size she was expecting, unable to believe that her ability to tell a man's penis size was _that _off.

"Maybe he makes up for it in width?" Nikki suggested. "He can't be _that _small."

Rachel smugly watched them all analyze the cup laughing to herself at the comments about its size. It definitely wasn't as big as it should be for him, but then again it wasn't Finn's cup they were holding; it was Karofsky's.

Now that she had actually seen Finn, there was no way she would have brought back his cup for them to analyze this way. The actual size of his penis was something she fully intended to keep (and enjoy) to herself.

Like the other girls were doing, Quinn stared at the cup, contemplating. Unlike the other girls, she wasn't contemplating over Finn's lack of size, but rather the cup itself. She agreed that the cup was smaller than expected, and she mentally ran through a list of the players on the team, wondering whose cup Rachel had taken. Her gaze slid to Rachel and took in her flushed appearance as well as the hickey on the right side of her neck. Moving closer to her she opened her mouth to say something about it but was distracted by another comment about the cup.

"I don't think he's that small. Maybe he just likes a snug fit, really protect the boys," Holly mused as she turned the cup over again. She turned her head and glanced at the box of condoms in her locker. "I'm sure I have one in here that would fit," she said slyly. "It's not like it's extra small and besides no matter what size it is, I'm sure he knows how to use it. I mean, have you seen his hands?" She let out another giggle as she fanned her face, earning a glare from Rachel before she snatched the cup back. "What? Tiny or not, I'd still do him."

"That's enough," Rachel said. "You don't know what you're talking about. I did your little dare, so let's just move on." She was done listening to the other girls objectify Finn, especially since she knew the truth and moved to her locker, the cup still in her hand. At that moment her phone beeped from inside her locker, signaling an incoming text. She placed the cup on the bench next to her before reaching for her phone.

Still miffed that Rachel had snatched the cup back before her inspection was done, Holly smirked at Rachel's back. "Aw look, Waterboy must be calling," she said with a laugh before going back to discussing how hot Finn was.

Intent on ignoring the girls still objectifying Finn she unlocked her phone to see she had a message from an unknown number. She pressed view and almost dropped the phone from shock when she read the text.

** Just thought I'd send this to welcome you back to your own locker room.**

She stared blankly for a moment before quickly texting back.

** You the head of the welcoming committee now?**

Amazed that he'd actually texted her, she set the phone next to her as she pulled off her boots and set them in the locker, not hearing Quinn approach.

"He was in the locker room wasn't he?" Quinn asked quietly as she sat beside Rachel.

Her cheeks grew warm under Quinn's scrutiny, "I brought back the cup," she began defensively before being cut off by Quinn. Her phone beeped again, but she ignored it, keeping her eyes on Quinn.

"That isn't all you brought back from the locker room," Quinn said looking pointedly at Rachel's neck.

Her hand flew up as she realized that there must be a mark that she missed. Shit. "It was from the curling iron," she said lamely.

"If that's from a curling iron then Holly really is a redhead," Quinn hissed back at her. "Spill."

"There's nothing to spill, Quinn, I don't know what you're referring to." She hastily pulled on a pair of pants and a t-shirt, topping the look with a hoodie. "I'm gonna go stretch." She grabbed her phone, putting it in the pocket of her hoodie so she wouldn't be tempted to check it in front of Quinn. Without risking a backwards glance she exited the locker room to head towards the field.

"Oh we'll talk later alright," Quinn said to Rachel's retreating back. "Right after I talk to Puck, we'll talk." She said the last part to herself, anxious to leave and discuss this development with him, suddenly not caring if Rachel had found her picture, since apparently she'd found something even better.

She'd found Finn.

* * *

**AN: Well Rachel certainly found more than she was looking for ;) Thanks for the read and please feel free to review :)**


	6. I'm Not That Girl

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :(**

* * *

Rachel woke reluctantly the next morning, her mind clinging to the remnants of the dream she'd been having about finding Finn in his locker room. Opening her eyes, she stretched under the light sheet covering the bed, sleep quickly leaving her body as she moved. As her mind cleared, she realized she had been dreaming about what had actually happened yesterday, and a blush swept over her cheeks as she laid there, stunned at the way the events of the day had played out.

She'd had sex with Finn Hudson.

Multiple times in fact, and all in the locker room of MetLife Stadium. She'd never look at a locker room - or him - the same way again.

Suddenly she understood what people like Holly and Nikki meant when they talked about their random wild and crazy hookups in the past, their claims of animal magnetism and getting caught up in the heat of the moment no longer seeming like something they made up just to justify having casual sex, but actual valid reasons. For the first time, she had given in to her desire and had had pure unadulterated sex-with the hottest member of the New York Jets no less- not caring about the rules or consequences of her actions. Obviously, she'd have to keep their tryst a secret, given the fact that he hadn't texted since she'd made it back to the locker room which proved that it had clearly meant more to her than him. No matter what though, it was definitely something she wouldn't forget.

It wasn't that she didn't enjoy sex; she wasn't a prude after all, but she'd never been with someone so soon after actually meeting them. Sure, she knew _of_ him but now she really _knew_ him. She knew how sweet his lips tasted and how he moaned just a bit when she bit his bottom lip gently. She knew how his slightly calloused hands felt on her skin as they traveled over it making a path for his mouth. She knew…

That her phone was ringing and interrupting her thoughts. She picked up her phone from the nightstand and looked at the display, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw #88 in place of a name. She'd saved his number to her phone after he'd texted her yesterday in the locker room, hoping (but not actually believing), he'd call. Surprised that he was really calling, she sat up and pressed accept quickly, trying to sound calm. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's Finn," he replied, his voice still husky as if he had called before he was fully awake. "Uh Hudson. Finn Hudson."

"Hi," she replied shyly, pulling the blanket up to her chest.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?"

She smiled before replying, though she knew he couldn't see her. "I just woke up actually. What can I do for you this morning Finn?" she asked, her voice still holding a note a shyness.

"I, uh, have to be at the stadium in a couple hours but I was wondering, if you're not busy, if you'd like to grab some breakfast?" he asked, the words tumbling from his mouth quickly.

If she could have seen him, she would have known he was pacing his apartment feeling like a teenager asking a girl out for the first time, but since she couldn't she just sat up in bed as he spoke, shocked into silence.

"Rach? You still there?" he asked when he hadn't received a response.

Rachel pinched herself to make sure she was really awake, unable to believe Finn was calling and asking her to breakfast. Trying not to let her surprise show, she took a breath before speaking. "The cafeteria isn't open yet," she pointed out, automatically assuming he'd meant breakfast at the stadium.

"No, I know," he said with a light laugh as he blew out a breath, thinking this wasn't going as smoothly as he'd hoped. "I meant somewhere outside of the stadium actually. Someplace more private."

"Oh," Rachel replied, biting her lower lip a bit, unsure of whether to be excited or nervous that he wanted to see her away from the stadium. "Did you have somewhere in mind?" she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"Yeah, there's this place called Shelly's," Finn began. "It's on-"

"I know where it is," she interjected, visualizing the hole in the wall diner on the way to the stadium.

"Awesome," he said with a smile. "So you wanna go there?"

"Sure, I can meet you there in about a half hour?" she offered, knowing that was the earliest she could get there.

"Yeah, that's awesome," he told her. "So I'll see you soon."

"See you soon," she echoed before ending the call and throwing back the sheet to jump out of bed, not wanting to be late. She mentally praised herself for being such an organized person since her bag for the day was already packed. Having showered last night when she got home, all she had to do was brush her teeth, fix her hair and put on some makeup before dressing and leaving for the day.

Her attire was simple since she'd be heading to practice after breakfast as well. A pair of black yoga pants, a black sports bra under a hot pink t-shirt and black and pink Nike's completed her look. Giving herself a cursory glance in the mirror she bit her lip, wondering if she looked too casual before immediately dismissing the thought-he probably wouldn't notice what she was wearing anyway. She picked up her bag and exited the bedroom, grabbing her purse and keys off the entry table before walking out the door and heading down to her car.

She slipped into her Fiat, turning on the radio and singing along to whatever came on to distract herself on the drive, trying to avoid thinking of why he wanted to see her so soon since she doubted it was good. Her heart began to beat a little faster as she approached Shelly's Diner, growing more nervous that he was planning on dumping her with each passing mile until she reached her destination, spotting his car in the parking lot.

She pulled her car into the parking lot and parked next to his car, quickly glancing over to see if he was still in it. Seeing that he still was, she cursed under her breath, irritated that she hadn't checked her appearance at the last red light. She blew out a breath and opened her door, hitting him in the process since he'd moved to open the door for her while she'd been cursing herself.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried as she stepped out of the car, positively mortified that she'd hit him. Her eyes swept over his form, from the top of his U of M t-shirt to his scuffed Nikes, hoping she hadn't hit him too hard.

"It's ok," he assured her, offering a crooked smile to cover his wince, sure that he'd have a bruise from the door. "You wanna head inside?" Finn asked as he jerked his head towards the restaurant.

Certain now that she'd killed any hope of him wanting to see her again socially, she nodded slowly. "Sure."

They headed across the lot, walking close but not touching, hands only grazing as they both reached for the door.

"I got it," Finn said as he pulled on the handle, opening the door and indicating that she should enter.

"Thanks," she murmured, smiling up at him as she entered, secretly thrilled when she felt his hand on the small of her back guiding her towards the hostess stand.

"Two please," he told the young girl standing there before flashing her his crooked grin.

The smile combined with the scruff on his face almost made the girl swoon with delight. She picked up several menus only to drop them on the floor before she could seat them. Flustered, she told them, "Anywhere you like. I'll bring you menus in a moment."

Finn pressed Rachel forward, his hand still on the small of her back as he led her to the back of the restaurant where it was practically deserted. He sat in the very last booth with his back facing the rest of the restaurant so that she would have his undivided attention.

She sat across from him, immediately missing the warmth from his hand on her back as she tucked her left leg under herself to sit a little higher. Leaning forward she clasped her hands together on the table, worrying them nervously together. Dying to know why he wanted to meet she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it quickly as she saw the waitress coming towards them.

Rachel watched the waitress approach, noticing with dismay that she'd taken the time to unbutton the top two buttons of her uniform, giving a view of her ample cleavage. With a glance down at her own t-shirt, Rachel suddenly wished she had taken Holly up on the offer of some of her borrowing some of her old clothes, feeling frumpy next to their waitress. She watched Finn's face as the waitress stopped at their table, mistaking his absent smile for a smile of interest.

"Hi, I'm Ashleigh, and I'll be your server today," the waitress purred as she stared at Finn, dropping a menu in front of Rachel but handing one directly to Finn. "Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"I'll have some orange juice," Finn said as he accepted opened his menu.

"Ok, I'll be right-" Ashleigh began with a flutter of her lashes, ready to walk off without Rachel's order.

"What about you Rach?" Finn asked, his eyes resting on hers.

"I'll just have some orange juice too, please," Rachel said, offering him a small smile before opening her menu. She watched Ashleigh flounce away out of the corner of her eye and opened her mouth again. "Thanks for inviting me to breakfast," she said quietly as she stared blindly at her menu.

"I'm glad you were free," Finn said honestly, smiling at her over his menu, willing her to look up.

Rachel missed his smile as she tried to focus on the menu in front of her, wondering what to order that she'd still be able to swallow after he gave the "_it's not you it's me_" speech she knew was coming.

"Do you know what you want?" he asked, interrupting her train of thought.

Rachel glanced up at him, thinking he probably wanted to get this over with. "Um, I'll have just have the bowl of mixed fruit." Noticing Ashleigh approach, she set her menu off to the side, indicating she was ready to order.

"Some juice for you," she said placing Finn's glass in front of him as she bent over far more than was necessary. "And some for you."

Rachel gasped as Ashleigh carelessly set the drink of the table, almost spilling it over onto her. She was barely able to catch the glass and right it. Wiping up the few drops that had managed to escape the glass she asked Finn, "Do you know what you want yet?"

"Yes, do you know what you'd like sir?" Ashleigh purred.

"Um, I'll have the hungry man," Finn said as he snapped his menu close and handed it to her.

"How would you like your eggs?" Ashleigh asked while resting a hip on the edge of the table.

"It doesn't matter; surprise me." He shrugged.

Ashleigh smiled down at him as she wrote his order on her pad of paper before turning to Rachel expectantly, her eyes sizing up Rachel and a smirk forming on her face. "And you?"

"Just the fruit bowl please," Rachel said quickly, hating the way Ashleigh was looking at her.

With a decisive nod, Ashleigh walked away, leaving Finn and Rachel alone once more.

"So where were we?" Finn asked before taking a sip of juice.

Rachel watched his throat move as he swallowed and had to resist the urge to climb over the table and change her breakfast to an order of tall, dark and handsome. Instead, she mirrored his movement taking a sip of juice before she spoke. "I was just saying thanks for inviting me to breakfast."

They shared a smile before his hand reached across the table to her face.

"You have a bit of juice right here," he said while brushing his thumb across her lip to remove the offending drop. Slowly he traced his thumb over the rest of her mouth, pulling back with a smile when her lips parted under his touch.

"So you not a big breakfast eater?" He switched the topic quickly in an attempt to calm himself since he'd begun to quickly become aroused.

Confused by his question she cocked her head sideways before answering. "Well I have a full day of rehearsals. Can't really dance with an overfull stomach."

"Really? I figured you'd need to stock up with all that moving and shaking you do," he replied giving her a little shrug as he spoke.

She offered him a smile before she spoke, thinking he was adorable. "That might work for you guys, but definitely not for me."

Ashleigh came back then empty handed still. "Everything ok? You need more juice, or..." her voice trailed off as she leered at Finn.

Finn looked up at her and gave her a smile. "I think we're fine. You good Rach?"

"Yeah," she said quickly, ready to resume her talk with Finn and find out why he'd asked her to breakfast.

"Well you let me know if you need anything," Ashleigh purred as she trailed her fingertip along the table before walking away.

"So-" They both said at the same time, smiling at each other before Finn said, "You first."

Rachel looked at him, losing herself in his smile for a moment and forgetting what she wanted to say in the first place. She looked down at her glass, moving it between her hands as she spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "Why did you invite me here?"

Finn wiped his damp palm on his thighs before he spoke, hoping his words would come out right. "I was kind of hoping we could talk," he told her honestly.

"Talk?" she repeated, her eyes now steady on his face.

"Yeah," Finn said earnestly.

"Well what did you want to talk about?" Rachel asked, her heart beginning to beat faster again.

"Yesterday."

"Oh," she whispered as she began to twist her hands together.

"Look Rachel," Finn began nervously as he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, knowing he had to get this right. "Yesterday, yesterday was…" His voice trailed off as he tried to think of a way to explain just how awesome it had been.

Rachel looked down at the table as she tried to brace herself for his way of letting her down. "You don't have to explain," she whispered, her fingers tracing patterns in the condensation on her juice. "I know what you're going to say and I get it. Yesterday was-"

"Incredible," he interjected quietly, reaching across the table to still her hand.

She watched him play with her fingers, his hand dwarfing hers and her heart squeezed a little. Her eyes found his, shocked at his words. She'd been expecting him to say yesterday was a mistake, that it meant nothing, but he'd thought it was _incredible_. While she was sure that he was used to hearing that sex with him was fantastic and amazing, never before had anyone described sex with _her_ as incredible. Although, she'd never stripped down and had intense, wild sex in public like that either, which could be why he'd thought yesterday was incredible-and it was. But it wasn't her. "Finn," she began nervously.

"Yes?" He continued playing with her fingers, weaving them with his own.

"I think you should know that I've never done anything like that before," Rachel admitted quietly.

"You mean that's not part of the normal welcoming committee?" Finn asked with a half smile.

"No!" Rachel cried, a blushing staining her cheeks. "What I mean is, while yesterday was incredible, I don't want you to think that I do that all the time, because I don't," she finished quickly.

"Me either," he rushed to assure her, as he rested his hand over hers.

She bit her lip as she looked at their joined hands, amazed at how well they fit even though his were so much larger than hers. A sigh escaped her lips as he began rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. "I'm just not that girl," she told him apologetically as she slid her hand out from under his.

"Meaning what?" He stared at her, his hand immediately missing the warmth of hers.

"I'm not the kind of girl you probably think I am, the one who would have sex in the middle of the field if given the chance. While I'm sure you've come across your fair share of football groupies willing to do that, yesterday was a first for me." She bit her lip as she stared down at the table.

"Well I'm not that guy," he insisted, reaching across the table and covering her hand again. His mind whirled as he tried to think of ways to show her he wasn't a douchebag.

"You're not?" she repeated as her eyes flew to his, the words he was saying beginning to sink in.

"No," he assured her with a shake of his head. He kept his hand over hers, resuming his light stroking. "And I've never had sex on a football field or any other field. Yesterday was a first for me too."

She gave him a small smile. "Really?"

"Really." He stroked a little firmer. "I'm-"

"Here we are," Ashleigh announced brightly as she approached the table, tray in hand. "One hungry man," she smirked, bending to give Finn an ample view of her cleavage as she served him. "And a bowl of fruit," she said unceremoniously while plopping the bowl in front of Rachel.

"Everything looks great," Finn replied quickly, hoping Ashleigh would get the hint and leave so he could finish what he had been saying.

"Just let me know if you need anything," Ashleigh said, with a knowing smile as she walked away.

Finn looked at Rachel, ready to continue what he'd been saying, only to find her staring at her fruit intently. "Is something wrong with your food?"

"What? No, it's fine," Rachel said with a false smile.

"You sure?" he asked, pausing as she nodded.

"I told you, it's fine, see?" She made a show of biting into a piece of pineapple, the false smile still pasted on her face.

"Look. I meant what I said before," he blurted out. "I'm not that guy. I've never been that guy. Ask anyone." His food sat untouched as he waited for her to speak.

She watched his face, noticing his earnest expression. "I believe you," she said quietly as she picked up her fork and stabbed another piece of fruit.

Finn felt a knot ease in his stomach and he dug into his food, noticing Rachel sneaking glances at his plate. "You wanna try a bite?"

"No, I'm good," she insisted.

"It's really good," he teased, holding out a forkful of pancake towards her.

"Just really good?" she questioned, spearing a piece of fruit as she tried to tease back. "Or is it to die for?"

Finn flushed and chuckled slightly as he pushed the fork closer to her lips. "To die for, I swear."

Rachel accepted the bite, closing her mouth over his fork to slip the pancake into her mouth. She eased back and chewed, swallowing before offering him a smile. "That was really good," she admitted.

Finn smiled over at her and continued to eat as he thought of what to say next, opening his mouth just as Ashleigh approached again.

"Still doing ok?" she asked, her eyes trained on Finn.

Rachel looked up at Finn, expecting him to be staring at the waitress only to find his eyes on her instead.

"We're doing great," he told Ashleigh, never once taking his eyes off of Rachel.

Ashleigh nodded reluctantly and walked away, leaving Finn smiling at Rachel.

"So a full day of rehearsals? Does that mean I won't see you at lunch today?" Finn asked, trying to sound casual.

Rachel shook her head. "No, Sue makes us drink her special protein shakes and we get a twenty minute rest period," she explained.

"That sucks," Finn muttered, bothered by the fact that he wouldn't see her.

Mistaking his disappointment for empathy she shrugged. "It's ok, she does this every year right before preseason. She wants to make sure we're camera ready," she smiled.

"You're camera ready," Finn defended. "I've seen your practices."

"Not according to Sue we're not," she quipped before popping a grape in her mouth. "She said yesterday that she'd seen better moves on a kid who has to pee but doesn't have access to a bathroom."

"Well, what about tomorrow?" Finn asked before taking a drink of his juice.

"Depends on how today goes," Rachel replied. "Sue's going to be insane until the season starts."

"She's always insane." Finn took a bite of eggs before speaking again, hoping his voice would sound casual. "Well, will you have practice tomorrow night?"

"No," Rachel said with a shake of her head. "Sue has an interview tomorrow night, no practice."

"So you _are _free tomorrow night?" he asked; keeping his eyes steady on hers.

Rachel's brow furrowed for a moment as she studied him, convinced he hadn't heard a word she'd said. "Yes," she replied slowly, "But-"

"Great," he said, cutting her off. "Can I see you?"

She looked up at him, her eyes still hesitant. "I'm sure you'll see me at the stadium tomorrow," she said, thinking he made a mistake.

"During the day," he conceded. "But I'm talking about tomorrow night. Would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?" he asked, emphasizing the word night.

"You want to go out?" she asked, her eyes wide with shock. "With _me_?"

"Yes _you_," Finn mocked with a grin, emphasizing like Rachel had.

Rachel's pulse scrambled at his grin and she returned it for a moment, her response on the tip of her tongue until she remembered one important factor. "I'd love to," she began sadly. "But I can't."

"Why?" Finn asked, his mouth suddenly dry as he stared at her.

"You're on the team," Rachel said slowly. "And I'm on the crew. We're not allowed to date, it's in the contract."

Finn frowned. "Sue mentioned something about that at my signing," he admitted. "But-"

"Wait, Sue was at your signing? Why?" Rachel asked in surprise.

Finn shrugged before he pushed his plate away. "I don't know, she said something about her budget but then wouldn't leave. Santana was pissed," he recalled with a smile.

"Santana?" she asked, trying not to sound too concerned, but wondering just who Santana was.

"Yeah, but Rachel?" he said, reaching across the table for her free hand.

"Yes?" she said, watching him stroke her skin softly.

"I just," he paused for a moment, trying to think of the right words to capture his feelings. "I just think this has a chance to be something special, you know?"

"You do?" she asked, her eyes flying up to meet his.

"Yeah," he nodded, shooting her a crooked smile as he played with her fingers. "So, will you go out with me tomorrow?"

Making up her mind quickly, she turned her palm up to interlace her fingers with his. "Yes," she said, for once not caring about Sue's stupid rules.

"Awesome," he said with a grin.

Ashleigh reappeared, breaking the moment and bringing the check with her. "Will that be all?"

Finn slid the check onto his side of the table. "Yep, we're set Alana."

"It's Ashleigh," she replied through gritted teeth. Taking one last chance she leaned over to Finn. "My number is on the back of the check...just in case." Satisfied she'd done her job she walked away.

Rachel's face fell slightly upon hearing the words and Finn noticed immediately. Dropping a dollar on the table he reached for her hand. "Don't let that silly girl get to you. The only girl's number I'm calling is already programmed in my phone."

"My number? You actually programmed it in?" she asked, amazed at the thought.

"Yes, try not to look so shocked," he teased.

"Can I see?" She extended her palm to him and waited for him to place the phone into it. Scrolling through to the R's she smiled slowly as she found her number.

"I wasn't kidding," he told with a smug smile as she passed him back his phone. "Now come on Rach, we've got practices to get to." He slid from the booth and reached down to help her out.

He placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her towards the front of the diner so he could pay. As they exited, he slid his hand down to capture hers, his fingers easily fitting between hers.

Rachel stared down at their joined hands, a thrill coursing through her veins as she realized they'd never had the _it's not you, it's me talk_ she'd assumed was coming. He _wasn't_ dumping her, instead, he'd not only taken her hand in his as they walked, he'd placed their conjoined hands around her waist, pulling her closer to him and staying like that until they'd reached her door.

She smiled shyly up at him. "Thank you for invit-"

He cut her off, unable to resist lowering his mouth to hers for a sweet kiss, pressing her back into her car door.

Her hand rose to his cheek, loving the feel of his scruff against her soft skin. Separating from him reluctantly after a moment, she looked up at him. "Much as I'd love to continue this, we do have to get going."

"Do we have to?" he murmured, pressing his lips to hers once more.

"Finn. I _cannot_ be late. I'm not doing the Slacker Special again," Rachel reprimanded, pushing on his chest.

He stared at her for a moment, capturing her hands against his chest. "Do I want to know what that is?"

"Trust me you don't." She tried pulling her hands from his, but he held tight. She stared up at him, still slightly shocked at the events of breakfast. "But if you don't give me my hands back, you'll see me doing it at some point today."

He sighed. "I guess that means you have to go?"

"I do."

"Fine. If you insist on leaving me I guess I should just say have a good practice today," he pouted with a last squeeze of her hand.

"You too. Try not to get hit too hard." She hesitated before pressing a quick peck to his lips. Her eyes immediately looked down as she pulled away to dig through her purse.

"I'll call you later?" he asked, taking the keys from her to unlock the door for her.

She smiled at the chivalrous action before her insecurities got the best of her again. "You really want to call me later?"

He laughed. "Didn't I just say that? I'll call you tonight after you text me that you got home."

"Ok." She opened her door, rolling her eyes as he jumped back so she wouldn't hit him. She backed out and looked in the rear view mirror, returning his wave as he got into his car, neither of them noticing Ashleigh staring out the window of the diner.

Ashleigh was dumbfounded as he drove away. Who the hell did he think he was leaving her number? Clearly he wasn't into that girl if he sent her and her bag off in a different car for God's sake. Obviously, he must have left the number behind because he'd already put her number into his phone which meant he was smart and good looking. Ashleigh buttoned her uniform top again and sat down at the counter. She pulled her phone from her apron pocket and tried willing it to ring.

It never did.

* * *

Finn was still smiling at how well breakfast had gone when he pulled into his parking spot at the stadium, already thinking of tomorrow's date with Rachel. He exited the car and walked through the lot, entering the stadium and immediately heading towards the locker room to get changed for practice. Pushing open the heavy doors, he made his way to his locker, turning his head as he heard Puck call his name from the other side of the room. His lips quirked as he nodded at Puck, who was sitting on the very table Finn had set Rachel on yesterday, getting his shoulder massaged before practice.

Once in front of his locker, Finn stripped off his shirt and stood shirtless in front of his locker, grinning at the picture in the back of it before pulling out his practice jersey and a t-shirt, quickly covering up the picture as he heard Puck approaching. He sat down on the bench, placing his shirt and jersey next to him as he pulled on his cleats.

Sam was only one of the three who was ready to go and he just was sitting on the bench shooting the shit with Finn and Puck. "So, Hudson. You seem much more relaxed today. You finally took my advice and started meditating didn't you?"

Puck snorted as he replied for Finn. "Fuck no he didn't take your stupid advice about saying ohm and all that other bullshit." He scanned Finn's face and torso, noticing scratches and a hickey on his collarbone. "Huddy _finally_ got some."

Finn said nothing, concentrating on tying his shoes.

"About time too. I was starting to think you were gay." He lifted his fist to Finn, waiting for Finn to bump it back in acknowledgment.

Ignoring Puck's fist, Finn gave his shoelace a final tug before he spoke. "Actually, Sam's right Puck. That ohm stuff really works you know. I tried it a few different places to see where I'd relax best."

Sam's interest was piqued and he replied eagerly. "Oh yeah? Where'd you try it man?"

"Uh, well I tried the trainer's table and the whirlpool," he said with a small smirk, visions of Rachel wet and naked flashing before his eyes.

"Really? Maybe I should try the whirlpool," Sam mused. "Was it better than the trainer's table?"

"Hell yeah," he replied, unable to help the grin that appeared on his face at the memory of his time in the whirlpool.

"Ladies, if you three don't stop gossiping and get your asses on the field in five minutes, you're doing sprints up the stairs," Will's assistant coach called out as he passed by.

Not wanting to run sprints, Finn glanced around the now mostly empty locker room, noticing that it was just them, Karofsky and Azimio before he switched the subject. "Dude, can you stop being such a pigpen and get fucking ready already? I don't want to run more laps just because your ass was late for practice."

"I'm working on it," Puck said as he began tossing things out of his locker and onto the floor as Finn and Sam continued to talk around him. "What the fuck," he muttered as he stared at the now empty space. "Where the hell is my armband?"

"You still use that?" Karofsky called out. "I thought the plays were getting printed on Hudson's ass since you're always checking it out." He laughed as he high fived Azimio.

Puck gave his answer in the form of his middle finger as he continued to search through his locker. "What the fuck are you still doing in here? Get your ass on the field."

"I can't find my cup," Karofsky replied before digging through his locker again.

"Check Azimio's locker," Puck called out as he continued to dig through his own locker for his armband. "Maybe your boyfriend put it in his locker by mistake after he helped you take it off yesterday."

"I think you're thinking of you and Hudson after practice," Karofsky sneered. "That your favorite part of your pre-shower routine?"

Puck stopped his searching to glare at him. "You know, if you put as much thought into your lame comebacks as you did into your defense, you wouldn't be giving up so many rushing yards."

"You're one to talk about rushing yards. Considering you only throw to Hudson, Evans' rushing yards are going to be nonexistent this year."

"Worry about your defense, Karofsky," Finn snapped, jumping into the fray. "The offense is gonna be awesome this year."

"Besides, I thought you needed to have balls to require a cup, Karofsky. You finally grow a pair?" Puck added.

"Fuck off Puckerman, you know you're jealous of my junk," he shot back.

"I might be if you had anything to be jealous of," Puck snapped. "Now get your ass on the field before I find myself suddenly needing to kick it out there."

Karofsky gave him the finger before stomping off to the trainer's to get another cup.

Puck continued to curse as the pile of belongings at his feet grew. He eyed Finn, who was laughing to himself from his spot on the bench. "The fuck you laughing at? Why don't you try meditating that hickey the size of Ohio right off your neck?"

"Fuck off dude, it's not a hickey it's a..." Finn's brain scrambled as he tried to think of something. "...a rash. It's a rash. I think the team switched something when they washed the uniforms." He pulled his t- shirt on before placing the practice jersey over it trying to cover up the evidence of his tryst with Rachel.

Sam, ever paranoid, immediately began pulling his jersey away from his chest and peeking down, trying to see if he had any marks.

Puck knew exactly what Sam was doing and started laughing. "If you've got the same rash, Huddy does," he said using air quotes around the word rash, "There'd be a serious problem, right Huddy?"

Finn ignored him, choosing to look down at the pile of crap at Puck's feet. "I'm not surprised you lost your armband, with all the crap you keep in your locker. Why the hell do you have an old lady sweater in there?"

"Fuck you. You know that's my mom's for when she comes to games," he retorted, flipping Finn off as he looked through everything again. "Where the fuck did it go?"

Finn shrugged, not having a clue what had happened to the armband but knowing exactly what had happened to Karofsky's cup. He grinned, wishing he could share the information but knowing that he couldn't. He watched Karofsky stalk back to the room, glaring at the trio as he led Azimio from the room. Turning his attention back to Puck, he rolled his eyes. "Looks like it just disappeared. Better go get another one from the trainer's; I seriously don't want to be running laps because of your ass." Finn stood up and walked out the door waiting there for Sam to join him.

"Fuck off," Puck called out to their retreating backs. "Just give me a minute," he said as he bent over and began picking things back up to put away before going to the trainers.

Finn watched from the doorway impatiently, freezing when he saw Puck grab the box of condoms, hoping he wouldn't be able to tell some were missing. He blew out a breath as Puck tossed them back into the locker before he called out again. "Seriously, lets go man."

"Fine," Puck muttered as he tossed in the last of his items before he looked down to find the armband on the floor under the bench. "Got it!" he called out as he bent over to grab it before joining them at the door and walking out.

Finn walked with them out onto the field, joining the others just as Coach Schuester began to talk.

"Alright guys," Coach Schuester said, calling the team to attention as he began to go over what they'd be doing for the day.

Finn found himself zoning out, his thoughts not on practice at all, but instead back on Rachel. He tried to find her on the sidelines, shifting casually back and forth on his heels as he tried to look around the group of guys around him to see her. Karofsky entered his line of vision and Finn narrowed his eyes as he watched Karofsky nudge Azimio before pointing to the Flight Crew and licking his lips. Following Karofksy's stare, Finn felt his hands clench into fists as he realized that Karofsky was leering at Rachel. He took a step forward unconsciously, ready to comment as Coach Schuester blew the whistle, calling Finn's attention back to practice.

Dealing with Karofsky would have to wait.

* * *

Finn made it through practice that day and the next without having a chance to talk to Karofsky at all, and after practice he was glued to his phone texting Rachel back and forth about their date, glad she didn't think the idea of watching a Journey cover band would be a lame. He showed up at Rachel's a few minutes early, unable to wait any longer to see her and entered her apartment building after she buzzed him in.

He had barely knocked on the door when it swung open, revealing her standing there with a bright smile on her face. His lips curved into a smile in return; glad that she seemed as anxious for their date as he was.

"Hi," he said while his gaze swept over her, taking in her little red dress and sandals that made her already long legs look even longer. His tongue darted out to lick his lips unconsciously as his jaw dropped. "You look amazing."

The hand he'd been holding behind his back fell to his side, the bouquet of flowers he was trying to surprise her with forgotten.

Rachel pushed her hair over her shoulder as she returned his stare. Her smile grew even wider as she looked him over, enjoying the way his jeans and simple black t-shirt hugged his body. "Oh this dress? It's nothing special," she replied shyly, not willing to admit she'd changed her outfit eight times before he'd come over. She noticed the bouquet he was holding loosely at his side. "Are those for me?" she asked as she pointed to the flowers.

The tips of his ears turned pink as he offered her the flowers. "Uh, yeah." He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck as she reached for the flowers.

Her eyes brightened at the cheerful bouquet of hot pink Gerbera daisies and she took the flowers from him, burying her face in them. "I've never gotten flowers before," she said softly, smiling up at him. "These are gorgeous Finn-and daisies are my favorite flower too." It was then she noticed that there was a single white rose in the middle of the bouquet. "Oh! There's a rose too," she said, puzzled over the appearance of one different flower.

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand awkwardly as she looked up at him with stars in her eyes. "Well you know, it's our first date and all, so I just thought having one flower different was kind of cool."

"I love them Finn," she whispered, touched by his gesture. "Come on in while I put these in water; it'll just take a minute." She backed up, motioning him inside before she led him into the apartment.

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him before following her through the apartment. He tucked his hands into his pockets as he trailed behind her noting how nice and tidy her apartment was. There were splashes of color throughout the space to brighten up the tiny space and pictures adorned almost every flat surface possible. He stopped to stare at a picture of her and Quinn in caps and gowns and had their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders, just beaming at the camera.

Meanwhile, Rachel filled a vase with water and quickly arranged the flowers in it, making sure to keep the rose center where she would see it. Pleased with the arrangement, she set it on the kitchen table and walked out to see him smiling at a picture of her and Quinn. She walked over and stood next to him, tucking her hair behind her ear before clasping her hands together in front of herself.

Smiling down at her, he pointed to the picture. "Graduation day?" he asked, stating the obvious.

She looked down at the picture before she responded. "Yes, high school graduation. We moved here later that summer."

"You guys have been friends for a long time then huh?" he asked as he looked over some other pictures on the table, noticing that Quinn was in the majority of them.

"Best friends since we were twelve," she said with a smile. "She's the reason I'm on the Flight Crew you know."

"I did not know that, but remind me to thank her later." He saw Rachel glance at him curiously and elaborated. "Well, without her who knows what kind of welcoming committee I would have had," he said with a wink.

She blushed slightly, unwilling to admit just how big of a role Quinn had played in getting Rachel into the locker room. "I don't think you need to thank Quinn for anything about your welcoming committee," Rachel said teasingly.

"No?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows at her playfully. "Would you rather I complain? Maybe I need to be welcomed more." He quirked his brow at her and gave her a half smile.

"Finn," she admonished, pretending to be shocked. "I believe I welcomed you very satisfactorily." She lightly slapped his arm as she spoke, jokingly chiding him.

He rubbed his arm after she slapped him, pouting while she giggled. "Ouch, Rach."

"Aw I'm sorry Finn," she said with a voice full of sugary sweetness.

"Well I think you need to tell me the story of how she got you on the Crew to make up for it," he said while giving her his best puppy dog eyes.

She rolled her eyes but smiled as she told him an abridged version of the story. "Well, it was two days before opening day and Sue had yelled at a girl so much that she wound up having a bit of a mental breakdown."

"Get out," he said looking at her in disbelief.

"I couldn't make this up if I tried Finn," she replied with a shake of her head before continuing. "Anyway, Quinn knew I would fit the other girl's uniform and so instead of having to completely rearrange formations, she asked Sue if she could teach me the routines. It was supposed to be a one time thing, but I had fun and Sue said I wasn't completely awful in my debut performance, so I stayed."

"What was the other girl's name?" he asked with a small smile.

"Suzy. Suzy Pepper," she responded automatically. "Why?"

"Just one more person to be grateful to." He slipped his fingers between hers, enjoying the small smile she gave him in return.

"Smooth Finn," she commented while looking at their joined hands. She glanced at the clock. "Do we have time for a drink? Can I get you anything?"

Finn looked over and noted the time. "Actually, we should probably get going, it's not far but I want to make sure we get a good spot."

She smiled and removed her hand from his as she walked to the door, picking up her purse on the way. Opening the door, she let him through before closing it behind her.

He glanced at her shoes before asking her, "Do you want to wait for the elevator or do you want to take the stairs? I don't want you to twist an ankle in those shoes."

She looked down at her feet before laughing. "We can take the stairs Finn; I promise I know how to walk in these shoes." She sauntered towards the stairs, her hips swaying as he followed, admiring the view.

They exited her building and he took her hand, leading her to his car. Anxious to impress, he opened her door, letting her slide in and get settled. Satisfied that she was ok, he shut the door quickly before walking around the hood of the car and climbing into his own seat. He eased his way into the traffic on the street and before reaching over the console and taking her hand. Lifting it to his lips he told her, "I'm really excited for tonight. This band is supposed to be really good."

"Well I'm a big Journey fan you know," she told him with a smile. "So I'm looking forward to it too."

"I bet I'm the bigger fan," Finn retorted, his tone serious as he continued to drive. "I mean, did you ever actually perform their songs in public?" he asked, his tone now holding a teasing note.

"No," she said with a shake of her head. Her head tilted to the side as she considered his statement. "Did you?"

"Yup," he said, ending the statement with a smug smile.

"Oh there's a story there I'm sure," she replied while turning in her seat to face him."Spill."

"I don't know," he said drawing out his words. "I mean, I don't think it's as interesting as someone having a mental breakdown or anything."

She lightly pinched the skin between his thumb and forefinger. "Tell me!"

"Ouch! Not the hands baby," he teased. "I kind of need those."

"Then just tell me." She replied as she stroked the skin she'd just pinched in an attempt to soothe it, her heart speeding up at the fact that he'd called her baby.

"Well, ok, if you insist." He blew out a breath and tried to ignore the feel of her thumb rubbing against his skin before launching into his story. "I guess it started when I was a little kid. My mom had this lawn service guy she was dating who used to sing Journey all the time. I got in the habit of singing along until he dumped my mom."

"Ohh," she murmured sympathetically.

"It's ok, the story has a happy ending," he said with a grin. "Anyway, I had this old drum kit I used to like to bang around on. I thought it was fun." He licked his lips and continued, noticing with a smirk that she was glancing at his hands and arms. "Well, my friend Puck played guitar and-"

"Wait, Puck as in Noah Puckerman? Quarterback?" Rachel looked at him in surprise. "I mean I know you went to college together but I didn't know you've known him for that long."

"You know we went to college together?" Finn asked, enjoying the way she blushed at the admission.

"Yes, I'm aware that you both went to the University of Michigan Finn. Proceed," she said hastily.

"Well, Puck got this idea to form a little band you know, to um…" His voice trailed off as he tried to think of a polite way to say that Puck wanted to use the music to get chicks.

"Meet girls Finn, I get it," she finished with a light laugh, patting his thigh to show she understood.

"Anyway," he told her rushing through the word as he set his hand on top of hers to stop her movements, since just that simple touch had him starting to become aroused. "We entered a contest at school once and played Journey for our set list. We won, Puck got the girl he was after and my mom actually got remarried, though that had nothing to do with me playing Journey." He offered her a smile. "So you see, I'm pretty sure I'm the bigger fan." He pulled the car into the parking lot by the park. "And what perfect timing, since here we are."

They climbed out of the car and he opened the trunk, grabbing a small cooler and a blanket. He placed the blanket over the cooler and grabbed her hand so they could begin to walk down the hill to find their perfect spot.

The band was already warming up on stage when they settled into a spot at the base of a hill. The spread the blanket out near a tree, allowing them to rest against it and enjoy the show. The sun was setting as Finn opened the cooler, opened a bottle of water and handed it to her as the band began to play.

"Cheers," he said as he tapped his own bottle against hers.

"Cheers," she echoed before lifting the bottle to her lips and taking a sip.

They sat on the blanket, legs outstretched and fingers linked as the band began playing the opening notes to _Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin_'. Finn managed to make it to the second verse before his stomach began growling, earning giggles from Rachel.

"What?" he defended as he rummaged through his cooler with his free hand. "I'm hungry."

She giggled again, watching as he pulled some food out of the cooler, placing it on his lap item by item. "You really are hungry."

"Well it's for you too," he said sheepishly. He gestured to the smorgasbord on his lap. "See anything you want?"

She quirked an eyebrow at his unintended innuendo, reaching for the cup of yogurt. "How classy, Finn. Yogurt and water for a first date."

He blushed. "Well you said you have to do weekly weigh-ins so I figured fruit and yogurt would be ok. I know it's not super fancy but-"

She cut off his ramble with a quick smile and a shake of her head. "I was kidding Finn."

"Oh." He smiled as he handed her a spoon, one of two in his hand. "Well in that case, share?"

"Of course." She peeled off the top of the yogurt cup, mixing it with her spoon for a moment before loading her spoon and holding it out to him. He immediately opened his mouth, frowning when she did a fake out and put it in her own mouth.

"Not fair, Rach," he pouted, his eyes fixated on the way her lips wrapped around the spoon.

She smirked a little as her tongue came out to rid her lips of any yogurt residing there before she spoke. Her face became a portrait of innocence as she loaded the spoon again and held it out to him. "That better?"

He gave her a mock glare as he opened his mouth, letting her place the spoon in his mouth. "Much."

She smiled as she ate some yogurt herself, turning her attention back to the music.

"Babe, you have some yogurt right there," Finn commented, reaching over to use the pad of his thumb to wipe the corner of her mouth. He watched her eyes flutter closed as he rubbed his thumb gently across her skin a few times to remove the offending yogurt. He traced her lower lip, groaning softly as she opened her mouth slightly and ran her tongue over the pad of his thumb, licking it clean. His thumb lingered there for a moment, before he reluctantly removed it from her mouth.

Her eyes opened and she looked at him, blushing as she saw his eyes were focused on her lips. She quickly filled the spoon again and held it up, intending to feed him. "I love this song," she said absently.

"Mmm. Me too," he commented as he accepted the yogurt. He'd been so into her that he hadn't even noticed that the band had finished _Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin_' and moved into _Open Arms.  
_  
"It's such a powerful song, don't you think? I'd love to dance to a Journey medley but Sue would never allow it," Rachel said wistfully. "She only confers with Quinn about songs and anything that's not highly energetic is out."

"You could dance to a Journey song for me," Finn suggested, immediately realizing how pervy that sounded. "No! I mean, like…"

"I know what you meant, Finn," Rachel teased, laughing at how adorable he looked trying to backtrack. "I might have to take you up on that."

"I'm gonna hold you to it," he promised, holding out a loaded spoon with the last of yogurt on it for her, trying not to notice her lips wrapping around the spoon again.

She smiled at him as she swallowed, once again turning her attention back to the music. Even with her gaze fixed on the stage, her hand still managed to find his, lacing their fingers together tightly.

They stayed silent as _Open Arms_ finished, the band immediately segueing into _When You Love A Woman_. Hands still entwined, she rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. They stayed in that position until the song changed and Rachel's head shot off of his shoulder.

"Oh I love this song!" she exclaimed as she began to bop her head and sing along.

Finn watched her while attempting to cover his smile with his bottle of water. Afraid to speak in case she'd stop, he merely continued to smile and watch her, enjoying her rendition of _Any Way You Want It._

She clapped her hands as the song ended before turning to see him smiling at her. "What?" she asked. "Is there a bug on me or something?" She immediately started to squirm on the blanket, trying to see if anything was crawling on her.

"Nope, no bugs. You're just too cute. Plus you've got some killer pipes in there."

"Thank you," she said while ducking her head as she felt a blush creep up her neck and onto her cheeks. A breeze ruffled the air and she automatically gave a delicate shiver in response to it.

"Are you cold?" he asked while turning his head to look at her.

"A little," she admitted sheepishly as she tried to discreetly warm her hands.

Setting his water to the side, he parted his legs and patted the space between them. "Come here then."

She gave him a smile as she scooted over to sit between his outstretched legs. "Now no funny business Finn," she warned him. "We can't have the star wide receiver arrested for public indecency," she teased in reference to their locker room tryst.

He gave her a grin as he pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "Wow Rachel," he said as he dropped a kiss on her shoulder. "The thought never crossed my mind; I just wanted to make sure you were warm." He rubbed his hands slowly up and down her arms before settling her hands between his.

She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, seeing him smile that sweet half smile at her. Responding with a smile of her own, she snuggled deeper into his arms as she told him, "Well if that's the case, carry on." Her head rested comfortably against his shoulder as the band continued to play.

With each song the band played, Finn found it harder and harder to resist the incredible strawberry scent wafting from her hair. He breathed in the strawberry scent of her shampoo one more time before nudging her hair aside to press a kiss to her neck. His lips trailed up to her ear where he lightly bit her earlobe, smirking as she purred in pleasure.

"Finn," she moaned, trying to be serious. "I said no funny business,"

"I remember," he murmured while pressing a kiss to her cheek before moving back to place his lips directly over her ear. He began to sing along with the band as they sang _Lights_, feeling her shiver against him. He teasingly stroked his hands up her arms, causing her skin to breakout in goosebumps.

She closed her eyes and just focused on him singing to her. His voice touched something inside her; it was just raw and true. When he finished, she turned her head and moved her lips to his in a sweet kiss. She traced her tongue over his lips, coaxing them apart so she could slip her tongue inside. She gave a breathy moan seconds before he pulled back abruptly. She looked up at him bewildered, her lips swollen from his kisses. "Why'd you stop?" she whispered, afraid she'd done something wrong.

He shifted against her, his arousal nudging her behind, hoping she'd understand that if they continued he'd lose control.

Rachel's mouth formed a small 'o' as she felt him press into her and she couldn't help but wiggle against him for a moment. She felt his fingers tighten on her hips and reveled in the fact that she could make him so crazy. She noticed the song changed to _Don't Stop Believin_ and jumped up impulsively, extending a hand to him to help him stand with her. "Come on, Finn!"

"I can't exactly move, Rach," he answered, glancing down at his lap.

She glanced down at him, dancing in place as she did so, unaware that her doing so was only making his situation worse. "Isn't there a way to get rid of it?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Are you offering?"

She smiled at him, still dancing in place. "I believe that would fall under the category of funny business. Now come. No one will notice if you stay close to me."

He frowned slightly as he stood, trying to discreetly adjust himself.

"Don't frown Finn," she said as she swayed her hips back and forth in time to the music while grabbing his hands in hers.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she looked up at him, feeling himself move as she tugged on his arms.

"I just wanted to dance with you, but keep your hands to yourself. No funny business," she teased, dropping her hands from his as he began to dance with her.

"I don't really dance," he told her apologetically while he focused on not stepping on her feet.

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Well, I know you have a Touchdown dance," she said. "And I _know _you have some pretty impressive moves elsewhere," she added with a wink. When the song finished she reached up and gave him a big hug before she pulled him down to her level, placing a quick kiss on his lips. She kept her arms around him as she leaned against his chest, waiting for the next song, surprised when none came. "Oh! Is it over?"

"I'd say so," he answered regretfully, wrapping his own arms around her. "I guess we have to clean up."

"I guess so." She separated from him, bending down to help him repack the cooler and blanket. Their hands found each others as they walked back to the car.

The drive back to her apartment seemed much shorter than the drive to the park. Finn couldn't resist laying his hand on her bare knee as he drove, caressing the soft skin above it. "That was fun," he commented, his hand squeezing her knee as he spoke.

"It was," she agreed with a nod of her head before falling silent. She watched his hand sweep back and forth across her knee, part of her still not believing that it was _Finn Hudson's_ hand on her knee. Needing reassurance, her fingers began to lightly walk up and down his arm before settling over his hand, holding it in place over her knee. She traced his fingers one at a time, loving how different his hand felt from hers. . His sharp intake of breath made her grin to herself and she trailed her fingers lazily up to his wrist, gently circling his pulse point.

Finn caught her look out of the corner of his eye and turned the tables on her as he made the left onto her street. His hand crept slightly higher on her thigh, softly stroking before inching back down to her knee.

Her legs slightly parted instinctively, silently inviting his hand to move again. She watched him smirk as he slid his hand even higher this time before bringing it back down to link with hers. She sighed and turned her hand over in his, threading her fingers between his as he drove, arriving at her building in record time.

"I had a great time tonight," Rachel said as Finn parked the car at the curb. She reluctantly let go of his hand to unbuckle her seatbelt before shifting in her seat to face him.

"I did too Rach," he assured her as he too unbuckled. He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, trailing his hand down her shoulder and arm before picking up her hand. Carefully, he lined his fingers against hers, the size difference clearly illuminated. One by one his fingers collapsed to nestle between hers and he smiled, his thumb rubbing her skin softly. He drew his eyes to hers, taking in the way she was biting her lip as she watched his movements. "Come here."

Immediately, she leaned forward, her eyes fluttering closed. He released her hand and cupped the back of her neck drawing her face to his for a kiss.

She swore she saw fireworks as he kissed her, his tongue easily slipping inside her mouth to dance along hers as she moaned. She changed the angle of the kiss as she rose up in her seat, her hands fisting in his t-shirt. She felt his hand leave her neck and stroke down her back before settling on her behind.

His hand cupped her ass as she half knelt on the seat, kneading gently as his mouth slanted over hers. The hand not fondling her ass slid around to her hip before streaking up her side to tease the side of her breast.

She whimpered into his mouth, breathing his name softly as he kissed her. Her hands wandered down his chest, slipping under his t-shirt to trace over his stomach. She leaned forward, hitting her knee in the console in the process.

Finn's hand automatically began rubbing her knee as he shifted to press her back so that her head was leaning against the tinted window. He put his hands on her hips to steady her as he tried to lean over her in an attempt to kiss her neck, only to find he couldn't reach her in her current position. His hands tightened again on her hips and he groaned in frustration before picking her up to straddle his lap.

She squealed in surprise as he lifted her, hardly acknowledging the slight bump to the head he'd given her by lifting her. Her head fell back and she moaned again as his lips attached to her neck. Her hips rocked against his and she felt him throb in response beneath her. "Finn," she breathed as she rocked against him again, trying to feel him under her.

"Yes baby girl?" he murmured, his breath warm on her neck as he placed a line of kisses from one shoulder to the other. His hands teased up her sides, stopping just shy of her breasts as she arched her back in an attempt to get him to touch her. He slid his hands back down her body before he began to walk them up her arms. His finger slipped under the strap on her dress and he traced the length of it before hooking it in his finger, dragging it off her shoulder as his knuckles grazed her skin.

Rachel pulled away from him, allowing the straps of her to dress to fall to her elbows, the neckline dipping away from her body as she did so. She shook her hair back, causing her breasts to lightly shake in front of him. Her hands moved to guide his up her body, the material of her dress bunching under his hands as she led him to her breasts. A mewl escaped her lips as he slipped his hands under the fabric, cupping her breasts as his thumbs brushed against the lace of her bra.

The noises escaping her mouth caused him to swallow thickly before he reared up, pressing her back into the steering wheel as he kissed her, nipping her bottom lip with his teeth. Still fondling her breasts, he kissed his way down her neck, hovering at her chest before his tongue darted out to trace along her fallen neckline. He bit the soft skin above her bra lightly, relishing in the noises coming from her mouth.

Unable to wait any longer, Rachel pulled his head from her chest, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pressed her lips to his. They kissed feverishly for a few minutes, their tongues exploring the other's mouth before they broke apart, panting. Rachel's hand threaded in his hair as he placed another kiss on her lips before kissing his way down her neck, presumably heading for her breasts. He sucked on the junction of her neck and shoulder, making her eyes close in pleasure. His hands, which had wrapped around her back under her dress while they made out, now returned to cup her breasts, his thumbs resuming their rubbing.

She mewled softly as she arched, her back hitting the horn. She quickly pushed herself upright, startled by the interruption. She felt Finn chuckle against her skin and put her hands on his face, pulling it away from her chest. Trying to look stern but failing, she let out a soft giggle as she rested her head against his. "Those lips of yours are dangerous," she said with a smile.

"Well yours are addicting, baby," Finn replied with a grin as he lightly pecked her lips.

She pulled back to stare at him, dress straps still around her elbows and his hands still under the material. "Wanna come upstairs?"

Finn shook his head as he reluctantly removed his hands and slid her dress back into place. "Not tonight Rach."

Clearly deflated, she adjusted her dress and tried to shift back into her own seat. "Ok," she whispered dejectedly as she stared out the window.

He gripped her hips, not allowing her to move. One hand reached up and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. The confused and hurt expression in her eyes tugged at his heart. "It's not because I don't want to," he began. "Believe me I do," he shifted subtly, his erection lightly poking her. "Especially since sex with you is like nothing I've ever experienced before."

She opened her mouth to say something, only to be silenced by his finger.

"But I'm not here just to get laid." He winced at his choice of words when he saw her frown behind his finger. "I mean, I like you Rachel," he quickly continued. "Like, _really_ like you. But I want more than just sex ok?"

She stared at him biting her lip. "I thought-"

He cut her off with his finger against her lips. "I told you before I'm not that guy. I don't want what Puck calls a Fuck Buddy. I want someone to hang out with too, you know? Someone to just watch a movie with or have dinner and stuff."

Rachel stared at him, her eyes looking right into his as she tried to determine whether or not he was lying. Satisfied with what she saw, she nodded. "I do too," she whispered.

Finn closed his eyes, relieved he hadn't blown it. He opened them again to smile at her. "So we can do this again sometime?"

She nodded at him before moving his hands from her body. She shifted over to her seat, grabbing her purse from the floor. "I'd like that a lot."

"Ok then," Finn grinned as he opened his door and climbed out to open hers. He extended his hand, pulling her out of the car and into his arms for a hug. "I really did have fun," he murmured into her hair.

"Me too," she agreed, squeezing him lightly before stepping out if his embrace. She looked up at him. "So..."

"So I'll call you…" he promised as he watched her fiddle with her purse. He leaned over and kissed her lightly. "…in about fifteen minutes when I get home."

"Ok," she breathed out before beginning to back away. "Thank you again," she called out.

"My pleasure," he said with a wink, wincing as she backed into the door to the building. "You ok?"

"Yes," she called out, mortified he'd witnessed that. "Talk to you soon," she said before quickly blowing him a little kiss before entering the building.

He stepped off the street back towards his car, leaning against it until he saw her light flicker on. With a smile, he got in the car and turned towards home, already anxious to plan their next date.

* * *

**A/N: I couldn't resist throwing a little Journey in this story :) Thanks for the read and please feel free to review :)**


	7. House Hunters, Hickeys and Hunger

Rachel hummed happily to herself as she blow dried her hair in the Flight Crew bathrooms. Practice had been brutal since preseason opening day was rapidly approaching and Sue seemed determined not to let Will Schuester's team outshine hers, working them until their muscles were throbbing. But neither that nor the fact that Holly was currently next to her blow drying her own hair in nothing but a tiny towel could put a damper on her mood.

She'd woken up to a good morning text from Finn and once she'd texted back, he'd immediately called her. Thrilled that he'd called, she'd gone about getting ready for practice, Finn keeping her company on the phone the entire time. They'd stayed on the phone as they both drove to the stadium, since as Finn pointed out that was the only way he could drive her to work, something that made her heart speed up.

She hadn't been able to talk to him since that car ride, thanks to Sue's insane practice schedule, but their early morning call had allowed them to plan their date for tonight. She was a little nervous about going to a bar since it wasn't really her scene, but Finn had assured her that he knew a quiet one where they could just hang out and talk. He was supposed to be picking her up at seven, which in theory would have given her enough time to go home and get ready, but Sue, in her never ending quest for perfection, had held her annual State of the Flight Crew Address after practice in which she gave Sandy and his lawyer Jesse St. James her reasons _why_ her squad was so much better than Will's and why Will should be fired.

Sue's speech had run much longer than expected since she'd gotten into an argument with Sandy over whether or not Will's butt chin was a form of sexual harassment against her girls which meant that Rachel wouldn't have as much time to go home and plan out her outfit. She was just running through possible choices in her head when Quinn sidled up to her, easily hopping onto the counter as she turned off the blow dryer.

"So what time do you want to go?" she asked, watching as Rachel unplugged the dryer and replaced it back in her shower bag.

"Go where?" She stared at Quinn as she ran a brush through her hair.

"Funny. Remember, we're getting manicures and then blowing our paychecks on new wardrobes for surviving another training camp with Sue?" Quinn pressed, examining her nails. "Sue's decided we have to have French tips, so we might as well get them now."

Rachel stared at her, the excitement of a date with Finn having made her completely forget about her previous plans with Quinn. "I…I can't."

"What? Why not?" She looked up from her nails in surprise. "What could you possibly have to do?"

"My DVR is full!" Rachel blurted out. Her cheeks flushed from the absurdity of her excuse and she turned her attention to her bangs, suddenly fascinated with fluffing them.

"So?" Quinn's voice was full of skepticism as she watched Rachel grab her bag off the counter. She hopped off the counter and followed Rachel back into the locker room, pausing by her locker. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's full and I have to catch up on my shows so I can erase it," she stammered, sticking to her lame excuse. "I haven't watched _House Hunters_ in weeks and Daddy's been dying to know what I thought about certain houses. I'm just going to stay home and watch the shows so I can discuss them with Daddy."

"Are you serious?" Quinn asked incredulously. "You're ditching me for _House Hunters_?"

"It's not just _House Hunters_, it's also _House Hunters International_!" Rachel defended, shoving her practice clothes into her bag and grabbing her purse. "I know how much you hate that show otherwise I'd ask you to join me."

"Fine." Quinn sighed. "Watch your stupid show. We'll get manicures tomorrow."

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow," Rachel called out, already halfway to the door.

Quinn just stared, suddenly wondering if Rachel really was watching _House Hunters_ or if she'd be adding a hickey to the one still on her neck tonight.

* * *

Rachel worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked over the drink specials. She'd never been a big drinker; usually only having wine or Mike's hard lemonades with Quinn when they had their movie nights. Finally giving up, she looked across the booth to find Finn staring at her. "What?" she asked with a self conscious smile.

"Just admiring the view," he replied with a grin. "Know what you want?"

She offered him a shrug. "There's so many options. What are you having?"

He began to play with her fingers across the table. "A Blue Moon."

"What's that? Is it really blue?" Rachel asked as she flipped her hand over to link with his, her eyes scanning the menu again. "Oh! Is that an umbrella drink?"

Finn grinned even bigger as he shook his head at her. "Nope, it's a beer, baby." His thumb stroked over her wrist as he replied, unable to stop himself from touching her.

She blushed a bit before laughing at herself. "Well my beer experience is limited to a Miller High Life when I graduated high school and that was pretty nasty."

His mouth quirked in a half smile as he began to tease her. "I bet that was your first drink too, huh?"

She sat up straighter in the booth with a huff, pulling her hand from his. "As a matter of fact it was not!"

"Oh yeah?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"I'll have you know I once hosted a party in high school," she boasted.

"You clearly didn't have a kegger if that High Life crap was your first beer," he concluded, cocking his head to the side. "Let me guess-you had wine coolers and a chick flick marathon." He threw his head back, laughing at her glare. "I nailed it right?"

Rachel tossed her hair over her shoulder as she gave him a mock glare. "Very funny Finn," she said, not willing to concede just yet how close to home he'd hit. "I'll have you know there were boys at the party too, so no chick flick marathon."

Finn let it slide that she didn't deny the wine cooler comment. "Hmmm so let's see, what'd you do at this party? No beer pong obviously," he looked at her face as he considered. "I've got it! You had wine coolers and played Seven Minutes in Heaven didn't you?"

"It was Spin the Bottle," she muttered. "Quinn wanted to play Seven Minutes in Heaven but I didn't think I'd ever be able to look at the laundry room quite the same way so we compromised."

Finn felt the laughter bubble out of his chest and he tried to cover it with a cough but Rachel of course noticed.

Shaking her head she decided to see if she could tease him back. "The worst part was how Quinn made me dress. I wanted to wear this green dress my grandma had but she wouldn't let me."

"Aw poor baby," Finn said, taking her hand in his again. "What'd she do?"

Rachel smiled. "Well, she loaned me one of her outfits of course. It was so-" She paused, her finger idly tracing what she hoped Finn would presume to be the low cut neckline of the dress Quinn had made her wear. She smiled as she watched his eyes follow her fingers. "Never mind, that's not the point. We drank and played our little game before I wound up passing out. My dads weren't happy when they got home."

Finn was stuck on trying to figure out what she'd been wearing, imagining her in a super short dress, or a short skirt like the one she was wearing now. "Hmm if that's your party experience I bet you've never had a shot either."

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Wanna try one?" he asked casually, curious to see her reaction to doing a shot.

"Um sure. But you pick ok?" she replied, biting her lip at the thought. "I wouldn't know where to start."

"I got it," he said confidently, beckoning a nearby waitress over.

"You two ready?" she asked, balancing her tray on her hip.

Rachel looked at Finn as she placed her order. "I'll have a Blue Moon."

"Make it two, and one lemon drop please. The lady's never had a shot," Finn said, offering the waitress a half smile. She nodded at them and walked away as he turned his attention back to Rachel. "So those were your party times huh?"

"Well after that I swore to be the designated driver; I didn't want to be one of those stereotypical drunk girls. You know, the clingy one or the crying one." She shrugged delicately.

Finn eyed her, wondering just what kind of a drunk Rachel would be. "Very responsible."

"I was!" she said while shaking her head. "I bet you went to lots of parties in school."

It was Finn's turn to shrug at her. "I guess. I hung out with the guys playing video games more than I partied; but I definitely went to more than one."

The waitress came back, setting down their beers and her shot with a bowl of pretzels. "You let me know if you need anything else," she said before walking away.

"I just drink it all at once, right?" Rachel eyed the glasses in front of her. She picked up the shot glass and looked at Finn. "What's the lemon for?"

"Yep, just knock it straight back," he directed, leaning forward to watch her reaction. "Then suck on the lemon."

"Ok, here goes." She lifted the glass to her lips, quickly tossing it back and grabbing the lemon. Her face scrunched as the vodka hit her throat and she placed the lemon to her lips, sucking as directed. She licked her lips as she tried to figure out how she felt about it. "Oh that was good!"

"I thought you might like it," he said as he picked up his beer.

She picked up her beer glass and tapped it against Finn's. "Cheers."

"Cheers," he echoed, taking a swallow of beer while keeping his eyes on her face.

She wrinkled her nose in distaste after sipping the beer. Determined to drink the beer and not appear high maintenence, she plowed on, taking another few sips.

He chuckled at her expression. "Not a Blue Moon kinda girl huh?"

Intent on finishing, she picked up the glass and took another sip, once again grimacing as she swallowed. "I guess not," she said as she placed the glass down.

"It's ok, Rach." He took another swallow of his own. "I'll just drink yours too. I think I know a drink you might like." He motioned towards the waitress who came back over.

"Ready for another round?"

"Actually, she'd like a strawberry daiquiri," he replied, thinking of the drink his mom had once ordered.

"Coming right up," the waitress replied, once again walking off.

"Finn," she protested. "I'm fine, I can finish it."

"Rach," he said back in a patient tone. "It's ok; just try this. I bet you'll like it."

Rachel nibbled on a pretzel as she waited for her drink. She didn't have to wait long as the waitress came back and set a tall glass in front of her.

"Enjoy," she called out over her shoulder as she walked away.

"It's certainly prettier than the beer," Rachel said with a smile as she examined the drink.

"It even has an umbrella," he teased.

She giggled as she picked it up and sipped. "Mmm, tastes better too."

"Like it?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Mmm so good." She took another long sip before tilting her glass to him. "Wanna try?"

Finn shook his head no, already knowing just from the smell that the waitress had made Rachel's daiquiri heavy on the alcohol. "I'll take your word for it."

Their conversation flowed easily as they drank, with Rachel making quick work of her daiquiri. The band began playing off in the corner and she bounced in the booth excitedly. "I wanna dance!"

"Yeah?" he said, looking out at the crowded dance floor. "I don't know if there's room baby."

"I'll make room," she declared, hopping out of the booth and holding out her hand. "Come on!"

She was lucky she was so cute, he thought as he let her pull him from the booth. They made their way onto to the floor where she immediately began to rock her hips against his before turning around and grinding her ass back into him. He placed his hands on her hips automatically, enjoying the feeling of her ass against him. His body soon began enjoying it a little too much and he reluctantly decided to put a stop to it.

"Whoa baby," he said as he turned her around to face him.

Her arms linked around his neck and she pulled his head down so her mouth was directly over his ear. "This is nothing. I'll give you a private dance later," she promised before lightly biting his earlobe.

He instantly went hard at the thought and began to drag her back to the booth before he just took her on the dance floor.

She looked down in surprise as she found herself back at the booth but picked up her drink and gulped the last sip. "Mmmm that was so good," she said with a delicate hiccup.

Finn took in her appearance across the table, noting her flushed cheeks and bright eyes. She was so tiny it didn't surprise him that she looked buzzed off one drink and a shot. He took another sip of his beer. "I'm glad you liked it Rach."

She raised her hand and waved it at the waitress.

The waitress walked to them and smiled. "Now you ready for another round?"

"Uh huh," Rachel said enthusiastically.

"You want the same?"

"Yes! It tastes like pink!" she squealed, grabbing at her hand. "Have you ever had one?"

The waitress chuckled as she removed her hand from Rachel's grip. "I have actually." She turned to Finn. "How about you? You doing ok?"

Finn caught her eye and mouthed the word '_virgin_' before nodding at Rachel, who'd tilted her head back, trying to get the last dregs of daiquiri out of her glass. "Yeah, I'll have another."

Smiling at his request for Rachel, she nodded and walked back to the bar to place their order.

Rachel again began nibbling on the pretzels as she spoke. "I'll pay for this at weigh-ins but it's _so _good."

Finn frowned at her. "Baby girl don't worry about the weigh-ins, you're perfect."

"Aww thanks Tigger," she cooed as the waitress set their drinks down. "You're perfect too." She stroked his fingers as she smiled.

Finn's eyebrow quirked at her, trying to figure out why she'd called him Tigger. Before he could ask, she'd tapped her glass to his and took a big drink. He sipped at his own beer and waited to see if she'd notice there was no alcohol in hers.

"Finn!" she said excitedly. "You _**have **_to try this." She moved to pass the glass over, instead spilling half of her drink onto the table. "Oops," she giggled while covering her mouth. "The table drank my drink!"

Finn wiped up the mess with a chuckle. "I think I better get you home, baby."

"But I just got that!" she cried, trying to take her drink back from him.

Finn picked it up instead and swallowed it down. "All gone."

"Finn!" she pouted at him. "I wanted that!" Lightning quick, her expression changed and she bounced in her seat. "Didn't it taste like pink?"

"Oh absolutely," he said seriously while gesturing for the check.

"Told you," she said with a smirk as she began to sway along to the music playing in the background.

He couldn't help but smile at her; she was an adorable drunk. He settled the tab and pulled her out of the booth. "Come on baby girl, let's get you home."

"I don't want to go home! It's still early," she pouted again.

"And we both have practice," he reminded her as he walked her out the door. He led her to the car and got her settled before getting in himself. He pulled away from the curb, quickly heading to her apartment.

"That was so fun Finn!" she said, opening the window to let the summer air pass over her face.

"I know Rach, but why don't you just sit back and rest till I get you home?" Finn rubbed his hand over her leg.

"I'm not tired," she said slurring her words just a bit as she placed her hand dangerously high on his thigh. "I just feel so good! Want me to make you feel good like I do?"

He wasn't going to be able to drive if she kept touching him, especially since her hand was now attempting to unbutton his pants. He placed his hand over hers while keeping his eyes on the road. "We can't baby, I'm driving."

She pouted and flopped back against the seat. "I just wanted to touch."

He couldn't stop the chuckle as he pulled into a visitor spot in her building's garage. "I know baby, but we're home now ok? You can touch while I get you inside."

"Yay!" she cried clapping her hands. Her mood switched again as she batted her eyes at him. "Do you want to come up?"

"Yep," he said cheerfully, realizing she must be drunk since he'd just told he was coming up. No way he wasn't making sure she got inside. He was going to get her upstairs and into bed, hopefully with some aspirin first. He climbed out of the car, hurrying over to Rachel's side, quickly opening her door. "Let's go baby."

She struggled with the seat belt, unable to unbuckle it in her drunken state. "Finn! Your car won't let me go!"

"I see that," he commented, pushing her hands away to get the seatbelt off her chest. "There you go. Ready?"

"Ready," she confirmed, accepting the hand he offered. She swayed unsteadily on her feet for a moment before she sat back down in the car. "I changed my mind. I'm just going to sleep in your car. The world is spinning too much."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Baby, you need to go upstairs and get into bed."

"No." She leaned her head back against the seat, her eyes closed. "I told you, the world is spinning too much."

"Come on, Rach. I thought you wanted to touch?" he questioned, wondering if she'd even remember saying that.

Rachel cracked open one eye. "Carry me?"

"Of course." He held out a hand, fully intending to scoop her up as soon as she was standing again. Rachel evidently had other ideas, since she positioned herself unsteadily behind him, attempting unsuccessfully to jump on his back. "Whoa, Rach, what are you doing?"

"Finn!" she pouted, still swaying unsteadily. "I want a piggyback ride!"

He grinned at her pout, immediately bending down low. "Can you climb on?"

She nodded determinedly, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Ready, Finn! Go!"

He winced as she choked him, his hands moving to lock under her legs. "Ok, baby. I'm going."

Rachel's grip never loosened as he walked into the building and headed for the elevator. Thankfully, Rachel released her hold to lean over and attempt to press the button, managing to do so on her fifth attempt. The doors opened immediately and he walked in, trying not to notice that Rachel had resumed her chokehold. She snuggled her face to his, murmuring into his ear. "I feel like Roo, Tigger."

"Roo?" he asked as the elevator sped upwards.

"Mmmhmm. Tigger carries Roo on his back sometimes," she murmured, squeezing her arms around his face even tighter. "It's very nice of him, you know."

Finn hadn't known that, but he also didn't know why she kept calling him Tigger. Before he could ask, the ding of the elevator alerted them to Rachel's floor.

"Ding!" Rachel repeated happily. "We're here!"

"That we are," he agreed as he carried her out of the elevator and down the hall. He paused at her door. "Keys?"

"Keys?" she echoed, tilting her head to the side. "Oh! My keys." She unwrapped herself from Finn, sliding down his body. She dug through her purse for a moment frowning when she couldn't find the keys. Frustrated, she simply turned her purse over, dumping the contents all over the floor and throwing the purse to the side.

"Rachel!" Finn cried, immediately bending down to shove everything back into the purse.

"Aha!" Triumphantly, she scooped up the keys, ignoring the rest of the items on the floor. She attempted to put the key in the lock, not realizing she was using her car key. "I got it!"

"That's great Rach," he muttered under his breath while tucking the restocked purse under one arm. He gently took the keys from her, quickly finding the right one to open the door. His arm slipped around her waist as he led her into the apartment. "Ok, baby, let's take off these shoes."

He handed her the purse as he bent down and unbuckled the ankle strap of her sandal before easing it off her foot. Repeating the action on her other foot he stood just as she let out a groan.

"Ooooh." Her eyes were closed as she leaned against the wall.

Thinking she was going to be sick, he swept her up and walked quickly to the bathroom. He set her down by the toilet and pulled back her hair. "It's ok baby, let it out."

She turned her head to him. "Let what out? Why are we in the bathroom?"

"I thought you were going to be sick," he told her as he rubbed her back. "I heard you moan."

She giggled and stood up straight, resting her head on his chest. "Silly Finn! That was because you took my shoes off; those heels are kinda high."

He placed a kiss on her head as he let out a sigh. "Alright then, let's get you into bed."

He picked her back up, carrying her the short distance to her room. His hands moved to either side of her as he set her back down, making sure she didn't fall. "Where are your pajamas?"

"That drawer," she said haphazardly pointing to her dresser. "I just wear a t-shirt."

He walked to the dresser and opened a drawer, quickly closing it when he saw it held her bras and panties. Maybe God was punishing him for getting her drunk by showing him her underwear. Muttering an oath he pulled open another one, locating a soft tee and turning back to her. "This ok?" he asked while holding up the shirt.

"Uh huh!" she said, nodding her head enthusiastically. An act she immediately regretted, placing her hand on her temple. "The room's spinning."

"Well if you lay down, it'll stop spinning, I promise," he replied as he set her down on the edge of the bed. She put her arms around his neck, attempting to pull him down on the bed with her but frowned when he resisted.

"Finn!" she pouted as she lay on the bed, her hair fanned out around her. "You said I could touch!"

He looked up at the ceiling, again cursing his luck that she was wasted. "You need to get changed first. Can you sit back up?"

She nodded, holding out her arms. He gripped her hands, pulling her back to a sitting position. "Ok baby. Lift your arms."

She complied and he lifted her shirt, his mouth going dry when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. His gaze lingered on her breasts for a moment before he grabbed the t-shirt and pulled it over her head. Swallowing hard, he focused on her face. "Now you can lay down."

"Ok," she replied happily, laying on her back and stretching her arms over her head. Her eyes closed for a moment as she stretched.

Cursing under his breath that she was stretched out on the bed so sexily and there was nothing he could do about it, he slipped his hands into the waistband of her skirt, trying to find the zipper.

"It's in the back," she giggled, correctly guessing what he was looking for.

God was really testing him. "Roll over Rachel."

"I told you I was like Roo, Tigger. You should call me Roo," she decided.

"Roll over Roo," he repeated, praying she'd listen this time.

She obediently rolled over, her ass peeking out from under the short skirt. He took a moment to admire her ass in the short skirt before quickly unzipping it and pulling the skirt off. Gently he rolled her back over, picking her legs up to pull the blankets back. "Alright. Under the covers now; I'm going to get you aspirin."

He walked out of the room and into the kitchen, quickly locating the pills and getting a glass of water. He entered the bedroom again to find her underneath the light sheet with the blanket tossed on the floor and her cell phone in her hand.

"Quinnie texted me! She wanted to know which house I liked best tonight," she said with a giggle as she waved the phone at him. "I told her I liked the house on Pooh Corner the best because that's where Tigger lives."

"Is that right?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Yes." She frowned. "Or at least I think it is. Is that where you live Tigger?"

"Nope. I live on Stoningham Court," he replied easily.

"Oh! I should tell Quinn that! She needs to know where Tiggers live!" Rachel decided, staring at her phone as she tried to figure out how to text her message.

"It's late, she's probably asleep," Finn replied, taking the phone from her and handing her the pills. "Here take these."

She sat up a bit, taking the pills and glass. She swallowed the pills under his watchful eyes and set the cup down.

Finn leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Get some sleep Rach-I mean Roo."

She peeled back the covers and patted the bed invitingly. "Come cuddle with me, Tigger."

He paused again at the use of the word Tigger. "Baby, why are you calling me _Tigger_?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Because that's your name. Now come on," she murmured drowsily.

He stared at her in confusion, toeing off his shoes. "Why Tigger? Oh! Because of the Bengal helmet right?"

"Nooo, because you're fast like a tiger," she replied shifting onto her side to watch him as he pulled off his shirt. "Hurry, Finn."

He assumed she misspoke and stood to unbutton his jeans and pull them off, Rachel's eyes on him the whole time. "Ah, so I'm you're tiger huh?"

"_No_," she insisted stubbornly as he got into bed beside her. Rachel immediately reached for him, flinging her arm over his stomach as she rubbed her face against his chest. "Tigger's a tiger that likes to cuddle. I love cuddling with you and you're _super _cuddly, so you're my Tigger. Got it?"

"Got it," he replied, as he tucked the covers around them. He stretched his arm out and she rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. Hearing her breathing even out he smiled down and kissed her forehead gently. Maybe it wasn't such a bad nickname if it got him times like this. As long as Puck never found out, he'd happily let her call him Tigger. He closed his eyes and snuggled down with her, drifting off to sleep with a smile.

* * *

Rachel shifted in bed, snuggling deeper into her pillow as her arm flung across the side of the bed, unconsciously searching for Finn. The coolness of the sheet caused her to frown as her eyes fluttered open, sure that she had been dreaming of him cuddling her in her sleep, too tired to fully remember the events of the night before. She stretched slowly before sitting upright at the sound of a cupboard closing in the kitchen, her heart beginning to race at the thought of someone else being in her apartment. She looked to her nightstand, intent on grabbing her phone and calling the police so someone would hear her if she confronted whoever had broken in, only to find that her phone was missing. Panicked, she opened her mouth to scream just as the door opened and Finn entered, causing her to close her mouth quickly.

"Morning baby," Finn whispered cautiously, unsure of whether she'd have a hangover from the night before.

Shocked, she closed her mouth only to open it again, unable to formulate words.

"I made some coffee," he offered, stepping towards the bed and offering her a mug.

She took the steaming cup of coffee, her eyes closing as she breathed the rich scent in before lifting it to take a sip.

Finn watched with a playful smile in place. "Does it taste like pink?" he asked innocently, trying to see if she remembered their night at all.

Rachel lowered the mug, a blush forming on her cheeks as she moaned and peeked at him from under her lashes. "I didn't say something that stupid, did I?" she mumbled.

"I've heard worse," he promised. "Puck once went on about how hot some girl he'd been making out was and dragged me to meet her. Turns out it was an old lady."

She laughed, one hand immediately flying to her head. "Ooo."

"Drink the coffee, Rachel. It'll help." He smiled at her, taking the coffee out of her hand and holding it to her lips.

"Um, Finn?" she asked after she'd taken a sip, lifting her eyes to his.

He grinned at her. "Yes?"

Rachel sat quietly, her mind replaying the events from the night before in slow motion. She licked her lips and looked at him, mortified by her behavior. "Did you carry me up here?" she asked, focusing on the end of their evening, failing to mention her activities in the bar.

"Mhmm." He nodded, waiting to see if she was going to bring up what she called him.

"You didn't have to stay," she whispered, cheeks still pink as she rotated the coffee mug in her hands.

"How else would I have known I was super cuddly?" he deadpanned.

"I did not say that." She buried her face in her hand.

Seeing her shift uncomfortably on the bed, he sat down next to her and ran a hand down her arm. "Rachel, I wanted to stay."

Rachel looked at him, searching his face to see if she could tell if he was just being nice or actually meant what he said. "Well thank you," she whispered, twisting the coffee mug in her hands again.

Finn reached out and took the mug, setting it on her nightstand. "Anytime," he told her honestly before deciding to tease her again. "You know I've been called a lot of names," he told her easily. "But I've never had anyone call me Tigger," he mused with a smile.

"I was drunk," she hastily explained, mortified that she'd actually called him Tigger.

"So I'm not like Tigger?" Finn asked, nudging his shoulder into hers.

"I didn't say that," she conceded quietly as she turned her face to meet his, a smile starting to form as she met his laughing eyes.

"I mean you are cuddly," she began.

"_Super_ cuddly," he interjected teasingly.

Rachel nodded and continued. "Yes, super cuddly, and you're very fast."

"Anything else Roo?" he asked innocently, referencing her piggy back comment from the night before.

Rachel laughed outright and shoved at his shoulder, not realizing how close he was to the edge of the bed. "You did give a good piggyback ride," she mused.

"Hey!" Finn cried, placing a hand on onto the mattress to steady himself as his foot slipped on the floor. "You trying to kick me out of bed?" He turned to face her. "Again?"

"No!" Rachel cried, putting her hand over his to steady him as his words registered, "What do you mean again?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"You kicked me out this morning," Finn teased, even though she hadn't.

"I did?" she asked, puzzled. She turned to eye him and noticed his shoulders shaking lightly. "I did not!"

"No, you didn't," he confessed, placing a peck against her lips. "I was just teasing."

"And to think, I was going to offer you breakfast," she said with a shake of her head.

"Wish I could baby," he said regretfully. "But I have to get to practice early today. Preseason opener's just a couple days away and Schue's getting in all the practice time he can."

"Oh," she replied with false brightness, not wanting him to see her disappointment. "Well, that's ok. Sue's killing us trying to get us camera ready too, so I understand."

"It's really not ok," he replied. "Will's back to holding two-a-days like at the beginning of training camp."

She lay back on the pillows, pulling the blankets over her head. "Don't remind me about practice."

Finn shifted onto his side next to her, pulling the blankets down to expose her face. "I'm sure you'll kick ass. You always do."

"Sue's gonna make me do the Slacker Special, I know it," she moaned. "I'll puke all over Blaine and then she'll make me do it twice for ruining the weight room."

"You'll be fine," Finn predicted. "If you do puke, make sure you do it all over Sue and make sure I see."

She gave a small laugh. "She'd kill me."

"Do you have plans tonight?" he asked quickly as she pulled the blankets back over her head.

The blankets stayed firmly over her head as she replied. "After practice? I was going to get my nails done," she told him, not mentioning the fact that she was supposed to go with Quinn.

"Wanna have dinner?" Finn asked casually.

"Really?" Her eye peeked out from under the blanket.

"Well yeah," he teased as he pulled the blankets away from her face. "I mean with all that puking you claim you're going to be doing, you're going to need to eat."

"I'll cook," she offered. "I mean if you want," she amended quickly. "Or we could-"

"I'd love to have dinner here," he said eagerly, the idea of maybe a trip to the bedroom with them both awake and sober playing in his mind.

"Six? Seven?" Rachel asked, trying not to appear overeager.

"Six is perfect," he rushed to assure her.

"Great." She smiled at him, wanting to kiss him but not wanting to share her morning breath.

Finn leaned over and kissed her lips quickly before standing up. "So it's a date," he smiled.

"Yes," Rachel replied as she peeled back the covers to stand by him. "You're sure I can't make you breakfast?"

He glanced at the clock and shook his head. "I really have to go."

"Ok," Rachel replied, pleased to feel his hand find hers as he started out of the room and headed for the door.

Finn stopped at the door to the apartment, his eyes roaming over her body clad only in a soft shirt and fought the urge to toss her over his shoulder and take her back to bed. Instead, he tucked her hair behind her ear. "So six?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Pasta ok?"

"Perfect." He leaned in and placed another peck against her lips.

"Have a good practice," she told him as he straightened.

"You too baby girl," he said, running his hands down her arms. He smiled as he opened the door. "I'll see you tonight."

"See you tonight," she echoed as she closed the door behind him before heading back to bed, her mind already on the night ahead as she picked up her phone, ready to tell Quinn she'd have to miss getting manicures again when she noticed a text from her.

Rachel felt the blood drain from her face as she scrolled through her texts, realizing she'd texted Quinn while she was drunk and potentially blown her cover. Knowing Quinn would be all over her for this, she quickly went to jump in the shower, trying to think of ways to avoid the topic while still managing to cancel the plans they'd had for tonight.

Cooking pasta had never seemed so important.

* * *

His morning exchange with Rachel making him slightly late, Finn hurriedly made his way into the locker room, hoping the morning meetings hadn't started yet. Fortunately there were still a few guys changing, so he hurriedly changed and slipped into the meeting room with the stragglers. Coach Schuester began explaining the plays they would run for the day just as Finn quickly took a seat.

"Alright guys," Coach Schuester said while gesturing to the whiteboard. "Are there any questions about these new plays?"

Finn leaned back as he studied the plays. They seemed simple; almost elementary in nature, but if executed correctly they were a sure fire way to get downs. He glanced around and noticed that nobody was questioning the Coach.

Will let his question hang for a minute to make sure all the players had been paying attention. "No questions? Alright, I'll see you on the field in five." With that he strode to the door and exited the meeting room, followed by his assistants.

The men made their ways to their lockers, tossing their individual copies of the current playbook inside before heading out towards the field. Finn dawdled behind, double checking silly things like making sure his cleats were double knotted as he waited for the room to clear. He waited until the room was mostly empty before he shifted the uniforms in the locker until he could see Rachel's smiling face. He tapped his fingers against her lips before letting the uniforms fall back. His head whipped to the door as he heard Puck call his name.

"Yo Huddy, come on. Unless you have to take a crap, get your ass on the field."

Finn merely flipped him off as he stalked to the door and out towards the field. When he stepped out from the tunnel he gazed around the stadium, still excited to be playing here. He saw the Flight Crew walking around and stretching and caught Rachel's gaze while sending her a grin.

His appreciation for the stadium and for her ended when Puck came jogging out of the tunnel just as Coach blew the whistle. Finn walked out onto the field just in time to go through the series of warm-ups that accompanied each practice, his position on the field allowing him a fantastic view of Rachel, who appeared to waiting around for Coach Sylvester as she talked with Quinn. His stretches became more half hearted as he continued to watch her, until the shrill whistle of Will finally jerked him back to the task at hand.

"Alright men, let's run the play we just went over inside," Will directed. "Line up."

Pulling his eyes away from Rachel, Finn quickly assumed his position for the first play, listening as Puck called out the count. He took off at the snap, knowing the ball was coming his way. He caught the pass on the run and headed down the field towards the end zone, zigzagging through the defense and easily spotting holes in the defensive line. He was at the 35 yard line when suddenly he toppled as he was nailed from his right side by one of the linebackers. He rolled on the ground still clutching the ball as he looked up to see who had hit him.

"What the fuck Karofsky?!" he growled, adding a shove for emphasis. "It's a no pads no contact practice." He got to his feet and shook his head at the linebacker.

"Karofsky! Take a knee!" Will called, blowing his whistle. "You too Hudson."

"Gee, I guess I just got carried away," Karofsky said sarcastically as he walked over to the sideline. "I forgot how easy Michigan players go down."

Finn tossed the ball back to Puck so that he could run the play with the second string and followed Karofsky to the sideline. Finn grabbed a cup of water from Jacob and followed Karofsky's gaze over to where the flight crew was practicing. Seizing the opportunity, Finn gave Karofsky the warning he'd been wanting to. "Don't even think about it Karofsky. You heard Puck."

"I think the little one with the come fuck me legs should wear #69 cause that's what she's built for," Karofsky commented, ignoring Finn while leering over at Rachel who was currently bent over in half while she stretched.

Finn clenched his fists, wanting to punch Karofsky just for even looking at her. Summoning as much self control as he could, he instead commented, "You should pay attention to the practice man, not to what the Crew is doing."

"Fuck you Hudson. I know how to play the game, just like I know how to play with the ladies. Look at that ass on her," he said lewdly. "Just _begging _to be taken by a real man. I got a nice big present here I think Miss December would like to unwrap."

Finn crushed the water cup he'd been holding as he took in Karofsky's words. Noticing that Jacob was still there, and in fact was drooling like Karofsky, Finn handed him his cup. "Hey, go get me a new cup man," he ordered watching Jacob scramble to close his mouth before moving off.

"Bet she tastes real fine too," Karofsky continued while licking his lips. "Probably Berrylicious," he added before smacking his lips together. "I think this is the year I finally sample that Berry platter."

That was it. Finn couldn't stand to listen to someone talk about _his_ girl, or any girl for that matter, as if they were just a piece of meat. Before he had the chance to respond to Karofsky they were being called back out and onto the field.

Finn took his position for the next play which had him staring straight at Karofsky. He braced himself on the balls of his feet as he listened to Puck call out the count. The instant he heard the ball snap to Puck he lunged forward headfirst into Karofsky.

Karofsky stared up at him positively fuming. "What the fuck man? No pads no contact?" he said imitating Finn's earlier words.

"Oops, I must have had the wrong play in my head," Finn replied, shrugging as he tried to hide the grin threatening to appear on his face.

Upon hearing that Sam crossed over. "Hey man if you're getting plays confused maybe you need to meditate before practice and not after. That way you can focus."

"Hudson! Get your head in the game or you'll be riding the pine!" Will called out. "Let's run it again!"

"Hey ladies get your asses in gear. Run the play and run it right," Puck called over to the trio. He gave Karofsky a steel glare before giving Finn a warning look.

The men lined up and ran the play again, this time like clockwork. Puck took a break after, allowing the backup an opportunity to run the play. He jogged to the sidelines and over to Finn and Sam.

"Seriously man, maybe you need to do the whirlpool thing before practice," Sam said encouragingly. "Just think how clear your head was and how relaxed you were."

Puck wiped the sweat of his head and snorted before Finn could reply. "You started a new diet right? A Berry based one?"

Finn had been staring at Rachel again and flushed upon hearing Puck's words. "Nah, I just forgot like I said."

Sam wasn't about to let it slide. "Maybe you need a new vitamin regimen to go with this whole berry diet thing."

Again, Puck laughed. "Yeah, maybe."

Finn gave his answer in the form of a middle finger as he turned his attention back to the field, pretending to watch the practice but instead focusing on Rachel, smiling slightly as she turned to face him during the Crew's routine.

He'd never been so excited to eat pasta.

* * *

Miffed at the fact that Rachel had ditched their shopping date, Quinn strode through Puck's house, heading out back to where he said he'd be waiting in the hot tub. She quickly undressed, revealing her blue bikini beneath her sundress before joining him in the water. Determined to get to the bottom of things, she began speaking without preamble. "Did he say anything to you?"

"Did who say anything Q?" Puck asked as he moved closer to her in the water.

"You know who-Finn!" she exclaimed, settling in next to him. "Did he say anything about the locker room?"

Puck shook his head at her before speaking. "I told you yesterday that we got out of practice early. He probably wasn't there."

"He _was_. She got all huffy when I asked her about it and she has a _hickey_," Quinn insisted. "A hickey she got from Finn."

"Why are we still talking about Finn and Rachel allegedly fooling around in the locker room?" Puck asked as he pulled her onto his lap. "Not like we haven't done more than fool around in there," he reminded her as he settled his hands on her hips. "Can't we just enjoy the fact that she cancelled tonight?"

"I'm telling you, she had a hickey," Quinn reminded him.

"I know Q, and yes, so did he," he said anticipating her question. "But that doesn't mean that they did anything in the locker room."

"I just don't get why she didn't tell me about it," she pouted while placing her hands on his forearms, ignoring his words. "Plus, she _never _cancels on me."

"Let me get this straight," Puck said with a raised brow. "You wanted them to get together but now you're upset she cancelled plans with you so she could allegedly hang out with him."

"Well no," Quinn started. "It's just not-"

"Cause I thought this would be a win-win seeing as how I was supposed to have game night tonight anyway," he reminded her, his hand running along the waistband of her bikini bottom. "I was going to kick Huddy's ass at Madden 2013."

"What was his reasoning for ditching you? It couldn't be as lame as her reason for ditching me," Quinn surmised, moving his hand from her waistband.

"What'd she say?" Puck questioned. "I guarantee Huddy's was worse-he can't lie for shit."

"Really?" Quinn replied dryly. "Well let's see, Rachel couldn't go shopping last night because her 'DVR was running out of space' and she simply _had_ to catch up on _House Hunters_," Quinn said sarcastically. "Tonight she claimed she had to miss movie and manicure night because she wasn't happy with how her hair came out when she washed it."

"Really?" Puck asked with a smirk.

"I told you it was lame," she muttered. "I'm sure Finn wasn't that lame."

"Nope, he's worse," Puck quipped. "He was going to catch up on his backlog of _Antiques Roadshow _so he could tell his brother he'd watched them. _Antiques Roadshow_ beats _House Hunters_ hands down Q," he crowed, pleased he was right. "Tonight he said Betty's cooking gave him the shits."

"Wait," Quinn said, slapping a hand to his chest as he leaned in to try and kiss her. "He was clearing out his DVR too?"

"Yeah," Puck muttered, leaning in again. "So?"

"So?" Quinn repeated slowly, amazed he hadn't caught on. "Don't you see? They used the same excuse! I still don't understand why she just wouldn't tell me," she said with a shake of her head.

Puck's shoulders shook as he tried, and failed, to contain his laughter.

"What's so funny?" Quinn asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Nothing," Puck said as he tried to swallow his laugh, afraid to piss her off and ruin his chance for sex.

"Tell me," she insisted, settling her hands over his on her hips.

"I just think it's funny you're so mad that she didn't tell you. She know about me?"

"No," Quinn admitted. "But that's different!"

"How is it different?" Puck asked as he moved his hands behind her back, resting them just above her ass.

"It just is," she replied stubbornly while folding her arms over her chest. "Rachel tells me _everything,_" she said as if that explained it all.

"But you don't tell her everything?" Puck asked.

"Well normally-"

"But there's an exception," Puck interjected. "She'll probably tell you tomorrow." He moved his lips closer to her neck, almost landing a kiss before she jerked away.

"What's Finn's M.O.?" Quinn asked suddenly, switching topics quickly.

"M.O.?" Puck repeated with a roll of his eyes.

"Yes," she huffed. "Do you think they're doing dinner and a movie? Or would he take her somewhere else? I hope he doesn't expect her to pay. If he-"

"How the hell should I know," Puck sputtered. "I don't analyze Huddy's dating style-It's too lame to even think about."

Quinn stared at him and rolled her eyes, waiting for him to continue.

"Fine," Puck muttered under his breath. "They're probably at his place pretending not to stare at each other while _Antiques Roadshow _is on," he grumbled before attempting to kiss her again.

Quinn slapped a hand to his chest as she leaned back to look him in the eye. "You really think they're just watching TV?"

He ran his hand over his mohawk in exasperation before speaking again. "Well, given how lame their excuses were I wouldn't be surprised."

"Do you think they've slept together?" Quinn pressed.

"How the fuck should I know? When it comes to girls, Hudson moves at a snail's pace, so I doubt it," Puck predicted.

"Well this is only their second date," Quinn mused.

"That counting the alleged locker room hickeys they gave each other?" Puck reached under the water and locked his arms around her waist before dragging her closer. "Now can we quit talking about them? We never did finish that captain's meeting," he reminded her as he ducked his head to kiss her neck.

"I'm going to call her," Quinn decided, pushing away from Puck before starting towards the steps of the hot tub.

"Whoa," Puck cried, grabbing the bottom of her bikini to prevent her from moving farther away.

"What?" she asked, twisting around to try and remove his hand.

"You're going to call her now?"

"Yes," Quinn replied slowly. "I'm going to call and ask how her hair came out, since I'm sure she did it for Finn."

"I don't think you should call," he said as he used the hand holding her suit to inch her closer.

"Of course you don't," Quinn said with a roll of her eyes as she pried his fingers off her bikini. "Just give me five minutes."

He stewed in the hot tub as he watched her walk out before deciding to join her. If she wasn't in the mood for some hot tub action, maybe he could get her in the pool.

Quinn turned to stare at him, dialing furiously. "I bet she doesn't answer."

"Does it really matter?" He scooped her up, stepping back into the hot tub with her in his lap, the phone glued to her ear.

"It does. I'm going to put her on speaker if she answers so you can see if she's lying too," Quinn decided, leaning back against him as the sound of someone picking up the phone on the other end. Quinn put her fingers to her lips, telling Puck to be quiet as she pressed the speaker button.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi, Rachel!" Quinn said cheerily. "I was just calling to see how your hair came out."

"_Oh…oh it came out fine."_

"Mmm. I bet it did," Quinn responded. "So what are you doing now? Want to go get our nails done now?"

"_No, that's ok. I think I'm just going to stay in."_

"Are you sick? Maybe I should bring you some soup and a movie," Quinn pressed innocently.

"_No! I'm not sick. I'm just…tired. I'm gonna put my pjs on and veg out. I'll probably go to bed really early."_

"I bet she'll be going to bed," Puck murmured in her ear, making Quinn smack his chest. "She just failed to mention it's not alone."

"Shhh!" Quinn hissed.

Fortunately, Rachel hadn't seemed to have heard, too busy talking about her plans for the night. _"So um. I've been lying on the couch reading…uh, Cosmo, and there's…an, um, article…yes article, about what color lingerie is sexier." _

Quinn exchanged a triumphant look with Puck. "Oh really? I must have missed that in my copy of Cosmo."

"_It's an…old edition. So um, what do you think is sexier?"_

"Black," Quinn replied instantly, correcting guessing that Rachel was trying to decide on lingerie for herself. "Black is incredibly sexy."

"_I don't… I mean the article is about um, what to do if you_ _**don't**__ have black lingerie. What would you wear then?"_

"Oh. Well what are the choices _the_ _article_ offers?" Quinn asked, making air quotes around the word article.

"_Um…pink or purple. Oh, or yellow polka dots."_

"Those are the choices?" Quinn demanded, horrified at Rachel's lingerie selection. "Was this written by a five year old?"

"_Hey! The yellow polka dots are cute!"_ Rachel defended. _"I always…I mean… the article says they're fun."_

Quinn sighed. "Does _the article_ say anything about wearing a thong? Or does it only list panties?"

"_Does it make a difference?"_

"Fuck yeah, it makes a difference," Puck murmured against her ear. "That G-string you have makes me insane."

She placed a hand against his face before she spoke. "It does make a difference. I'm _sure_ the article mentions the power of a thong."

"_Really? It should be a thong? I have…I mean, it says lacy panties."_

Quinn rolled at her eyes at Rachel's slip up. "Well lacy panties are sexy too."

"Not as good as a thong," Puck muttered. "Too much coverage."

"Can you hold on one second Rachel?" Quinn asked. Not bothering to wait for Rachel's answer, she put her hand over the receiver. "Would you _shut up_?"

"She really doesn't own a G-string? Sucks for Finn," Puck replied.

"Grow up." She rolled her eyes, pulling her hand away from the phone. "I'm back."

"_So uh, do you agree with the article? Should I….I mean is pink lingerie sexier?"_

"No. Purple lingerie is much sexier," Quinn replied, seeing Puck empathetically shaking his head no at the mention of the pink lingerie.

"_Really? Are you sure?"_

"Positive." She paused for a moment. "So you're just gonna read all night?"

"_Huh? Oh, I um…have to go. I'll call you tomorrow."_

"Rachel, wait!" Quinn pressed, already listening to the dial tone. "She hung up!"

"So? She's got lingerie to put on," Puck replied, pushing her hair away from her neck.

"Call him," she demanded, pointing to his phone on the ground nearby.

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely. Call him."

The tone of her voice brokered no argument. Cursing Finn all the way, he snatched his phone off the ground and quickly dialed his number. He listened for a moment before hanging up. "I got voicemail."

"Let me see that, you were barely on the phone!"Quinn cried.

"I'm not giving you my phone," he cried as he shifted his body to block her from grabbing it. "I said I called!"

Quinn stared at him coolly, sliding off his lap as she held out her hand.

Puck stared back at her. "Not happening Q," he said lightly. "Remind me again why we're wasting time worrying about what they're doing when we could be doing something way better?" He stood his ground and stared back at her, watching her face closely.

"You're right," she finally admitted, setting her phone back down.

Relieved, Puck crossed the patio to take her into his arms, wondering where they should get it on when she spoke again.

"I'll just text her later anyway," she murmured before bringing her mouth to his, effectively cutting him off from replying.

Puck kissed her back, wondering for a moment when Finn's sex life had become his problem before Quinn's hand snaked inside his bathing suit, making him forget about everything but her.

* * *

Her lingerie debate settled, Rachel rushed into the kitchen to stir the pan of sauce on the stove after buzzing Finn into the building. She placed the spoon on the countertop just as he knocked on the door.

"Coming," Rachel called out as she hurriedly took off her apron, hanging it on a hook by the stove. She glanced at the table as she passed it, making sure everything looked just right before crossing to the door and unlocking it. "Hi," she smiled as she opened the door, allowing him to enter.

"Hey," he replied easily, ducking to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "Something smells good," he commented, keeping his eyes on her.

"Homemade spaghetti sauce," Rachel told him, reaching down for his hand and noticing the items he was holding for the first time.

"I bet it'll go great with some daiquiris," he teased, lifting the pre-mixed drink container in one hand.

Rachel poked him in the belly. "Virgin this time?"

"What fun is that?" Finn quipped, his lips quirking into a crooked smile.

"What's in the other box?" Rachel asked as she gestured towards it.

"Dessert," he said easily. "Chocolate eclairs," he clarified with a shake of the glossy bakery box.

"Oh," she replied with a smile. "Let's go put it in the kitchen; you can keep me company while I finish up."

Rachel turned and walked to the kitchen, setting the drink mix onto the counter as Finn followed behind her, setting the box next to the drinks.

Taking advantage of her closeness, he placed his hands on her hips, turning her in his arms. "You look really pretty by the way," he told her before giving her another light kiss.

"Thanks," she murmured with a blush, glad he liked the simple lace trimmed purple tank top and black skirt.

"You're welcome," he told her pleased at her blush. "Can I help you with anything, baby?"

"No," Rachel assured him. "Just go sit," she pointed to the table. "And keep me company."

Finn did as she asked, enjoying the way she bustled around the kitchen finishing up her preparations. They talked easily as she filled a pot with water for the pasta before stirring the sauce. Dipping a spoon in the sauce, she brought it to her lips and tasted before nodding her head, pleased with the results.

"Want to try the sauce?" she asked from her place in front of the stove, spoon poised over the pan.

"Sure," Finn replied with a smile. "It smells really good," he said, repeating his earlier words.

She dipped the spoon into the sauce, holding it over her hand as she walked to him. As she offered him the taste, he pulled her into his lap before opening his mouth, allowing her to slip the spoonful of sauce inside. Licking his lips, he hummed his approval.

"Perfect," Finn said appreciatively, his eyes locked on Rachel's as she slipped the spoon from his lips.

"It just needs a few minutes to simmer," she told him, pleased by his reaction. Moving to stand up from his lap, she smiled as his hands met around her back, holding her in place.

"_Finn_." She smiled.

"What?" He smiled back. "You said it needed a few minutes."

"It does," Rachel agreed. "But I need to-"

"Sit with me," Finn interjected, his thumbs drawing circles on her back as he spoke, causing her arms to break out in goosebumps.

"Just for a minute," she conceded as she wrapped her arms around his neck, forgetting that she was still holding onto the spoon. "Then I have to-"

Finn leaned in, pressing his mouth to hers to stop her from talking. Slowly, his tongue slipped out to trace her lips, coaxing them apart so his tongue could find hers. He continued to slowly stroke her back as they kissed before bringing his hands around her sides, slowly running them up from her hips to the sides of her breasts.

She moaned as he touched her so slowly, the spoon she'd been clutching falling from her fingers as she reached to tangle them in his hair. Her tongue met his eagerly and she shifted on his lap as she tried to get even closer to him.

He stroked his hands back down her sides slowly, settling them on her hips as he swallowed her moan. Easing back he nibbled on her bottom lip before placing feather light kisses along her jaw line towards her throat.

"Finn," she moaned as she dropped her head back to give him easier access to her throat, her concern over the simmering sauce forgotten.

He smiled against her neck, loving the sound of his name falling from her lips. He nipped at her pulse point before soothing the area with his tongue, his hands slipping from her hips to caress her thighs.

Her legs parted slightly as he stroked her thighs, anxious to feel his hands touching her. She moaned again, this time in disappointment as he moved his hands from her thighs back to her hips.

Finn kissed his way back up to her lips, squeezing her hips as he lifted her to straddle his lap, pushing his center to hers. He groaned as she rocked against him, barely resisting the urge to thrust up against her. Bringing one hand up from her hip, he cupped the back of her neck, changing the angle of their kiss as he did so.

Teasing both himself and her, he ghosted his fingers underneath the tank she was wearing, feeling her skin heat under his touch. He inched his hand higher, cupping her breast through her bra, causing her to whimper into his mouth. Anxious to see her, he moved both hands to the bottom of her shirt, his lips still on hers as he slowly raised her shirt.

He eased back from her lips as he pulled the top over her breasts, waiting for her to lift her arms so he could pull it over her head. When she complied, he quickly tugged the shirt off and tossed it onto the floor behind them. His eyes darkened as he looked at her, sitting on his lap, clad only in a bra and short skirt and his arousal strained against his shorts.

Rachel felt her skin flush under his stare and licked her lips as she waited to see what he did next.

He lifted his eyes to hers as he traced his fingers over the swell of her bra, watching as her eyes fluttered closed as he touched her gently. Unable to resist, he dipped his head forward, his lips following the path of his fingers as she whimpered and rocked against him.

Wanting to feel his skin against hers, she curled her fingers into the bottom of his t-shirt, tugging it up over his stomach. His hands dropped to hers, quickly taking over, pausing their kiss as he dragged the shirt over his head and tossed it next to him.

Rachel's hands were on him before it hit the floor, nails scraping lightly over his chest before stroking his back, pushing his chest into hers. Still not satisfied at the contact, she brought her hands behind her back, unhooking her bra and tossing it on the table before leaning back into him, her mouth finding his in a scorching kiss. Her hips moved against his, rocking against his arousal slowly as she teased them both. Pulling away slightly, she tried to stand back up, but his arms banded around her, holding her to him as she attempted to stand.

"Finn," she murmured against his lips, her hands caressing his bare chest. When he made no move to respond, she tried to ease off his lap, succeeding this time, watching as he lifted his head in confusion.

Finn stared up at her, wondering if he'd moved too fast again. Before he could voice his concerns, he saw her hands reach for the zipper on her skirt.

"My job," he growled, reaching his hands out to her and pulling her to stand between his thighs. Finding the zipper on her skirt, he lowered it slowly before easing the skirt off her hips, allowing it to pool at their feet. His eyes passed over her body, drinking in the sight of her before him clad only in a tiny pair of purple panties before he hooked his fingers in the waistband, lightly stroking her soft skin. He leaned forward, pressing hot open-mouthed kisses across her stomach while his hands dipped lower inside her panties. Once again, he smiled against her skin as she fisted her hands in his hair.

"Finn," she whined as her legs began to tremble.

"Yeah baby?" he replied, his voice thick with arousal.

She tugged on his hair, forcing him to lift his head and look up at her. "I think you're overdressed."

"I am?" he asked, his lips quirking into a crooked smile.

"Mhmm," she said, releasing her grip on his hair so she could slide her hands down his shoulders and chest. Bending down, she teased her lips against his, nibbling his bottom lip before she slipped her tongue inside his mouth. Her hands skimmed lower on his body, cupping his erection through his shorts, making him buck his hips against her hand. She traced a finger along its length, feeling empowered by his moans. Finally, she inched her way towards the button of his shorts, making quick work of the button, the zipper following after. Still not breaking their kiss, she moved both hands back to his thighs, skimming her fingers over them before tugging on his shorts. His hips lifted automatically, allowing her to yank the shorts away from his body so they could join her skirt on the floor.

"That's much better," she murmured, her lips pressed close to his ear.

He turned his head, capturing her mouth in a scorching kiss. His hands cupped her ass, pulling her forward again so she was between his legs. "Still too many clothes," he breathed against her lips.

"Really?" she asked, her hands still stroking his erection through his boxers.

"Yeah," he said before swiftly yanking her panties down. He ran his hands slowly up her legs, pausing high on her thighs just short of where she wanted him to touch. Teasing both himself and her, he stroked her thighs, his thumbs rubbing in small circles, the sounds of her breathy moans like music to his ears. Done with his teasing, he moved his hand higher, allowing his fingers to glide across her slick folds. "Fuck Rach," he breathed out, easing his finger inside her.

"Finn_, please_," she moaned as he slipped a second finger into her.

Finn curled his fingers inside her, twisting them as she rocked against his hand. His thumb brushed against her, and her head fell back as she blindly reached out, placing her hands against the table.

Rachel's teeth sank into her bottom lip as she leaned against the table, trying desperately to find release. She ground her hips in a circle just as his thumb flicked over her sensitive bundle of nerves. She gave a strangled cry as the orgasm rolled through her, her eyes squeezing shut as she was overcome with pleasure.

Finn pressed kisses along her hip as he slowly withdrew his fingers, incredibly aroused by the sight of her coming undone for him. Wanting more than anything to be inside her, he grabbed his shorts, pulling a condom from his wallet and placing it on the table before standing and pulling her into his arms.

Rachel turned and linked her arms around his neck, rising on her toes to kiss him. Feeling his erection pressing against her belly, she moaned and moved her hands down to his boxers, detaching her lips from his so she could push them down his legs, kissing her way down his body as she got on her knees. Making her way back to his arousal, she circled her tongue around the tip, collecting the moisture already gathered there before slipping him inside her mouth.

"Damn Rach," he breathed out as she moved her mouth over him, her tongue swirling around him as she bobbed up and down. His fingers curled in her hair as his hips thrust automatically once before he pulled himself back, forcing himself to remain under control. He reached for the condom he'd set on the table, her hands taking it from him and rolling it on before rising on her toes to kiss him again.

He covered her hands with his, gently untangling them from behind his neck and bringing them back down to her sides, his lips still moving against hers. Easing back slightly, he kissed down her neck, biting gently before he placed his hands on her hips, spinning her around to face away from him. Finn's hands swept up her sides, cupping her breasts as her head fell back against his chest. Dipping his head down, he pressed a row of kisses from her shoulder up to her cheek, finding her lips as his thumbs circled her taut nipples. He groaned into her mouth as she ground her hips back against him in a silent plea for more. His hands crept back down her sides, taking her hands in his and placing them back against the table. Confident she'd keep her hands where he placed them, he placed his back on her hips while bending his knees, slipping inside her, their moans mingling. Finn paused for a moment, eyes closed as he tried to catch his breath, overwhelmed by the sensation of being inside her again.

It was even better than he remembered.

Rachel's back arched as he began to move, one hand glued to her hip as the other moved her hair off her neck before skimming down her spine.

"_Finn_!" she screamed as her hips thrust back against his, their bodies moving in perfect synch. Her hand reached behind them to grab his ass as she reached her high.

He couldn't respond, lost in the moment as her walls began to tighten around him. He thrust inside her again, holding her hip tightly as he spilled into the condom on a groan. "God baby," he muttered as he held himself still, unable to move.

Rachel turned to look at him over her shoulder, groaning herself when he bent forward to kiss her.

Unable to stand anymore, Finn slipped himself out of her, finding the chair and sitting before pulling her into his lap, nuzzling his face into her neck. "Incredible," he murmured against her neck.

She smiled as she ran her hand over his back. "You too."

They sat for a few moments in contended silence, each drifting in their thoughts until Finn's stomach rumbled.

"Hungry?" Rachel murmured sleepily, relaxed from their lovemaking.

"Hmm?" he asked, still lightly stroking her body.

"Are you hungry?" she repeated, pushing away from him to smile before her lips parted in horror. "Oh no the sauce!" she cried, jumping from his lap to check the pan.

Finn took a moment to enjoy her naked form run through the kitchen. "I'm sure it's fine."

"It's burned," she wailed as she looked into the pan.

"It's ok, Rachel," he assured her.

"It's not," she replied with a shake of her head. "I wanted tonight to be perfect!"

"I think it is," he told her, opening his arms, gesturing for her to come back to his lap.

She crossed over him with a pout before she settled back into his lap. Dropping her head onto his shoulder, she curled into him as he stroked her back.

"How about we call in for pizza? It'll go great with those daiquiris," he teased, trying to cheer her up.

She lifted her face to look at him, still upset that things hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped. "You think so?"

"I do," he nodded solemnly before leaning forward to drop a kiss against her nose.

"Ok," she smiled.

He gave her a quick hug before shifting in his chair, suddenly realizing he still had the condom on. "I'm going to run to the bathroom, why don't you call it in? I'll eat anything," he assured her as he helped her to her feet before reaching down and grabbing his boxers.

Rachel took a minute to admire his form as he walked away before grabbing her own clothing off the floor. She placed the pizza order before dressing and was just putting her bra on as Finn reentered the room.

"You're getting dressed?" he asked with a frown, clad only in his boxers.

"Well yeah," she said with a puzzled smile.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said as he grabbed her clothes from her hands, swooping down to grab his own after.

"Finn, I need my clothes," Rachel said as she crossed her arms and tried to look stern.

"Sorry, but really it's for your own good," he explained as he placed her skirt and tank top on top of one of her kitchen cabinets along with his own.

"How so?" she asked with her brow arched at him.

"I wouldn't want you to spill anything on it while you're making the daiquiris," Finn told her, an innocent smile on his face as he picked up the drink mix and handed it to her. "You have a blender for the ice right?"

"Yes,"she conceded, walking to the cupboard and pulling it out. She grabbed some ice and tossed it in, mindful of how the ice made her nipples pucker beneath her bra. Aware that he was watching, she quickly poured the drink mix in and started the blender, allowing it to mix for a couple of minutes until it looked to be the right consistency. Rachel reached up into the cupboard above her head and pulled down two glasses before pouring them each some of the frothy beverage, trying to will her body to calm down.

Finn watched Rachel take a sip of her drink, smiling over at her as she swallowed. "Still taste like pink?" he asked as he picked up his own glass, downing half of it in one swallow.

"It does," she smiled. "I'm sure you're hungry," she said as she set her drink back down, mentally cursing herself for not preparing an appetizer. "Want some éclair?"

"Sure,"he responded easily, catching her hand before she could reach for plates. "We can just use our fingers."

Rachel blushed as she nodded, sliding her finger under the tape holding the bakery box closed. She reached inside and grabbed one of the desserts and offered it to him.

Finn leaned forward and kept his eyes on hers while he took a bite. "Very good," he murmured huskily. "Try it," he encouraged, taking the éclair from her so he could feed her.

She took a tiny bite and licked her lips, noticing his own part in response as he set the éclair down. "Do you want more?" Rachel asked as she picked up the pitcher, quickly changing the subject. "Or, I um have some beer if you'd rather."

"I'm good right now," he replied before taking another sip of the drink. "You going to drink yours?" he gestured to her nearly full glass with his own. "I thought you liked it," he commented while he watched her start to blush.

"I do," she hastily replied. "I just thought I'd wait for the pizza, I don't want a repeat of last night," she murmured as she cast her eyes downward, suddenly fascinated with the condensation forming on her glass.

Finn smiled over at her, covering the hand she had on her glass with his own. "Last night was great, Rachel."

She looked up at him, searching his face to see if he was teasing her. Surprised to find he wasn't, she offered a shaky smile. "I still think I should wait for the food."

"Have another bite," Finn said as he picked up the eclair from the counter, waving it in front of her lips until she took a bite. He started the move the eclair away from her lips, intent on taking another bite for himself, and almost dropped it completely as he felt her tongue slip over his middle finger. Inhaling sharply, he watched her tongue, now coated in pastry cream slip back inside her mouth.

"There was a little-" she managed to start to explain as he set the dessert down on the counter.

Finn eyed her mouth and stepped forward, intent on kissing her again. He took her chin in his hand and lifted it, lowering his lips to hers right as the buzzer for her apartment rang. Groaning at the timing, Finn grabbed the pile of clothes off the cabinet and set them on the counter, grabbing his shorts and slipping them on as he went to pay for the pizza.

Rachel blew out a breath and began to sort her clothes from his, assuming since he'd put his shorts on that he would want her dressed as well.

"You're getting dressed?" Finn asked as he reentered the kitchen, pizza in hand. "I thought we already went through this?"

Rachel paused in the middle of zipping her skirt, her head tilted to the side as she eyed him curiously. "Well, yes, I thought-"

"I think you should leave it off," he told her as he set the pizza down on the table.

"You do huh?" she asked playfully, still not removing the skirt as she cocked her head at him.

"I do," Finn assured her as he unbuttoned his shorts before lowering the zipper, trying to appear casual as he stepped out of them. "I think you're overdressed," he teased, using her earlier words.

"I am?" she asked as a smile formed on her lips.

"Yep." Finn nodded seriously. "You can only eat pizza in your underwear," he told her with a shrug.

She laughed easily. "Is that so?"

"Mhmm," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest as he smirked. "It's the rules."

"I've never heard that before," she said as she lowered her skirt slightly. "I've always been dressed when I ate pizza before."

"Obviously you've never eaten pizza with me. Lose the skirt babe," he told her as he tapped a hand on the pizza box.

Rachel lowered the skirt another inch. "You're sure about this?"

"Yes." He nodded right before his stomach growled.

Rachel laughed as she dropped her skirt. "Well ok, can I have some pizza now?" she asked coyly as she stopped in front of him.

He tilted his head to the side as he pretended to ponder his answer. "Well you are in the proper dress code now," he murmured as he looked her over, watching her skin flush. "So I guess you can have some," he smiled.

"Good," she quipped pressing up on her toes to give him a peck on the lips before she lifted the lid on the pizza box. "I was afraid you were going to make me starve," she teased.

"I wouldn't let you starve," he told her as he pushed off the counter. "I mean you did have some eclair," he reminded her, placing his lips against her cheek.

Rachel reached inside and grabbed a slice of pizza, licking her fingers after she'd set it on her plate. "Any other rules I need to know before I can eat?" she asked as she eyed him playfully.

"Actually," he replied slowly, drawing out the word. "There are more."

"Do tell," she pressed as she crossed her feet at the ankle and leaned against the table.

"Well the first thing is really a clarification of an earlier rule," he began while he traced a finger down her arm. "Pizza is really only supposed to be eaten in underwear and boxers."

"Really?" she asked, trying to keep her lips from curving. "So that means-"

"That you have to take off the bra," he nodded at her.

"That's the real rule?" she repeated, still holding her plate as she quirked a brow at him.

"Yep," Finn replied quickly with another nod, hopeful she'd comply. "The bra's gotta go."

Keeping her eyes on his, she set the plate down and reached her arms behind herself, unclasping her bra and peeling it down her arms, his eyes following her every move. "Better?" she asked as she placed the bra on the table.

"Mhmm," Finn muttered thickly.

"Good," she replied as she picked up her plate and walked back to her chair at the end of the table.

Finn reached in and grabbed two pieces of pizza, plopping them on his plate before he turned to her. "Uh oh," he said with a sad shake of his head. "You're about to break another rule if you sit there," he warned.

"I am?" she asked, her pizza in hand. "What now?"

"You're sitting too far away," he said quickly. "You're supposed to sit close enough to touch."

Rachel smiled at him as she spoke. "I am?"

"Yes."

She stood and pulled her chair around the table, placing it next to his. "Is that better?"

He rested his hand in her bare thigh. "Much better."

"I can't believe I've never heard of these rules," she commented. "I've been eating pizza wrong for years."

"That's because you weren't eating it with me." Finn quipped as he settled into his chair, resting his left hand on her bare knee as he picked up his pizza with his right and began to eat.

Rachel paused with her pizza in hand, trying to match his playful mood as she dropped her hand over his before taking a bite of her pizza. His fingers moved over up her thigh, the backs of them caressing her wrist as he moved out from under her hand, causing her to shiver and drop her pizza back on her plate.

Finn stroked higher, teasing his hand along the edge of her panties, smirking as she dropped her pizza. "You ok baby?" he asked casually before taking a big bite.

"Yes," she stammered before picking up her pizza, this time placing her other hand on his thigh. Taking a bite, she lazily drew her hand around on his thigh, feeling the muscles contract under her touch.

"Good," Finn replied as he continued to stroke her, his hand wandering to the juncture of her thighs, stroking once before placing his hand back on her thigh. He took another bite of pizza, finishing off his plate before reaching for seconds.

"You're having more?" Rachel asked as she watched him reach for the pizza box.

"Yep," he replied as he opened it.

"Isn't there a rule about that?" she asked as she licked her lips, her heart beating double time in her chest.

Finn turned his head to look at her, a smile blooming on his face. "Nope, no rules about seconds babe."

"I'm sure there is," Rachel insisted as she moved her hand to his thigh. "In fact, I'm pretty sure the rule is if you want seconds, you have to lose these," she told him while her fingers traced the edge of his boxers.

Finn felt himself beginning to stir more at her words. "Is that so," he murmured cheekily.

"Yes," Rachel said with a nod.

"Well then I guess I better take them off," Finn told her while pushing his chair back from the table so that he could stand up. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers, his eyes on her face as he lowered his boxers to the floor. Hopeful that she'd say yes and have to take off her panties, he waited to speak until her eyes had traveled back up his body. "So, did you want more too?"

"Yes," Rachel whispered before biting her lip. "But not of pizza"

Finn looked down her, hoping he hadn't misheard her. "Not pizza?"

In answer, Rachel pushed away from the table and stood next to him, her fingertips at the edge of her panties, ready to take them off when Finn's hands suddenly covered hers.

"I _told_ you, my job."

Rachel stood still, her eyes locked on his as he stepped closer, his hands gently moving hers out of the way before running his fingers back over the top of her panties. She placed her hands on his shoulders as she lifted her face to his, waiting for his kiss.

He leaned down, his lips a breath away from hers, before turning his head and placing a kiss against the corner of her mouth. Before she could protest, he kissed down his throat as his hands began to ease her panties down. His mouth traveled lower, pausing to swirl his tongue over her nipple before sucking it into his mouth for a moment, causing her to arch her back. Smiling against her skin, he placed open mouthed kisses down her torso as he knelt down to finish dragging her panties down her legs. Slowly he ran his hands up the back of her legs, cupping her ass as he placed a kiss to her stomach.

"Finn," she whispered as she put her fingers in his hair, pulling his face away from her stomach to look up at her.

"Yeah?" He smiled at her and moved his hands to her thighs, trying to get her to step further apart. When she did, he leaned in and kissed her thigh, sucking at her sensitive skin. He rested his head against her thigh for a moment as he looked up at her. "One more rule baby."

Rachel shook her head, trying to follow his words, something that was made that much harder since Finn was now biting the inside of her thigh.

"No more talking, just screaming," he murmured before kissing up to her core, his tongue darting out over her slick folds once, his hands moving back to her ass to hold her firmly in place. Teasing, he circled her sensitive nub with his tongue repeatedly before licking all along her folds once more, the breathy moans coming from her spurring him on. He could feel her legs starting to shake and moved one hand to slip a finger into her, curling it inside as he sucked at her bundle of nerves, causing her walls to flutter before squeezing him as she came.

"Oh God!" she cried out in ecstasy, her chest heaving as her legs shook. She looked down to see Finn pull away from her, licking his lips while fumbling on the floor for his shorts.

He grabbed the other condom from his pocket, tearing it open and quickly rolling it on before he kissed his way back up her body, anxious to get back to her mouth. Reaching out, Finn swept his arm across the table, knocking the pizza box off before he lifted her and set her on the table, laying her back on it, his mouth never leaving hers. His hands moved from her hips to her thighs, easing them apart so he could step between them as he nibbled at her lips.

Rachel ran her hands over his back, her nails digging into him as he brought his hands higher on her thighs. Trying to get him to touch where she wanted, she moved down on the table slightly, groaning in frustration as he instead moved his hands closer to her knees.

He skimmed his fingers over the back of her knees before closing his hands around them, lifting as he yanked her to the edge of table so he could wrap her legs around him.

Rules forgotten, Rachel moaned out his name, whimpering when he stopped touching her. She opened her eyes to look at him, her heels digging into his back as she silently pleaded for him to touch.

Finn stared back at her before leaning over, placing his lips near her ear. "More?" he whispered before gently nipping her earlobe.

In answer, her hand snaked between their bodies, fingers stroking his arousal. Her thumb grazed over the tip, causing him to moan as his hips thrust against her hand. "More."

His hand covered hers, stopping her stroking. Finn captured her mouth in a kiss as he entered her, not even feeling the sting from her nails digging into his shoulders as he began to move. One hand moved from her hip to her hair, tugging lightly so she'd drop her head back and expose her throat to him, smirking as she whined his name. He withdrew slowly, almost completely before she lifted her hips to try and draw him back inside. Unable to resist, he lowered his head to nibble at her neck as he thrust back into her, soothing the spot he'd just bitten.

Rachel lifted her head as she rotated her hips, grinding into him in time with his thrusts. She threaded her fingers through his hair, tugging his mouth away from her neck and lifting his face to hers so she could kiss him.

He returned her kiss hungrily, his tongue seeking hers as it delved into her mouth. His hips continued their assault, thrusting into her frantically. He moved his hands from her thighs to her hips, lifting her ass off the table and pulling her closer to him.

Rachel's hands flew to his shoulders, nails digging in for purchase as she ripped her mouth from his on a wanton moan. Writhing against him as her body screamed for release, she reared up into a sitting position, her arms reaching around his neck as she pressed her chest against his.

Finn stopped moving, allowing her to move against him before he placed her back on the table, one hand slipping between them to flick over her sensitive nub. "Let go baby," he said thickly. He rubbed his finger back and forth before lightly pinching, causing her to clench around him as she came, the screams coming from her mouth sounding like heaven to him.

He held her for a moment, continuing to stroke with his finger as she shuddered through the remains of her orgasm. He waited until she stilled before he began to move his hips again, pumping into her three more times and groaning her name as he exploded into the condom.

Finn ran his hand slowly over Rachel's back as her head rested on his chest, both trying to catch their breath. He felt her smile into his skin and pressed a kiss to her hair before he pulled back slightly to return her smile.

Rachel unwrapped her legs from behind his back, allowing them to dangle next to his as she scooted closer to the edge of the table in an attempt to get down, only to have Finn pick her up and set her back down on the floor in front of him. Rising up on her tiptoes, she kissed the corner of his mouth before she whispered, "I like your rules."

Finn collapsed into his chair, pulling her down to sit back on his lap, still breathing heavily. "We'll have to have pizza more often," he joked weakly as he nuzzled her neck, trying to get his breath back.

Rachel giggled while turning her head to give him better access to her neck. They sat for a few moments, their breathing slowing back to normal as they relaxed against one another. She shivered and his arms tightened around her as he lifted his head.

"You cold?" he asked as he began to rub her naked back.

"A little," she confessed, burrowing deeper into his embrace.

"Well," Finn began reluctantly. "Maybe we should get you dressed." He squeezed her hips and lifted her, placing her feet on the floor.

Rachel looked around and tried to find her clothes while wondering if he was just going to leave now. Locating her bra and panties she slipped into them, speaking casually as she did so, though her heart was racing. "There's a good game on ESPN classic tonight."

"There is?" Finn asked absently as he rolled the condom off, disposing of it in the trash before beginning to dress.

"It's the 1969 Super Bowl," she remarked, watching his face. "Wanna watch with me?"

"Yeah, that'd be awesome," he replied enthusiastically, reaching for her hand to drag her into the living room.

She flipped on the TV, carefully locating the station she'd looked for earlier. "It _is_ a good game right?"

"It's a great game," he told her enthusiastically while stretching his arm around her, pulling her closer into his side.

"I've never seen it," Rachel said as she snuggled into him. "Do they win?"

"How do you not know if they win or not?" Finn asked as he peered down at her and lightly tickled her side. "What kind of Jets fan are you?"

Rachel squirmed against him, a giggle escaping before she answered with a shrug. "I don't know. I didn't really care before," she admitted while turning back to face the TV. "I'll pay more attention now."

"You're in for a good game," Finn said excitedly as he began to discuss what was about to happen.

Rachel rested her head on his shoulder as she tucked her legs up next to her on the couch, smiling at his excitement. "You really love it don't you?"

"What's that?" he asked, his hand idly stroking her arm.

"Football," she explained. "You really love it."

Finn smiled down at her. "Yeah, I do. Now watch, I'll explain it all."

They watched from the couch, Finn patiently explaining the plays to Rachel as they watched. He glanced down at her every now and again, trying not to grin at how adorable she looked trying to absorb everything he was telling her. She peppered him with questions through the first quarter, but grew quieter into the second.

"See," he said excitedly while pointing at the TV. "We ran that play today," he explained, waiting for her to comment. When she didn't, he looked down at her nestled into his side, noticing that she'd managed to fall asleep. He tried shaking her lightly as he called her name to wake her. "Rach? Baby?"

Her only response was to burrow deeper into him as she sighed, so he took the remote from her hands and turned off the TV before picking her up and cradling her against him. He carried her into the bedroom, easily unzipping her skirt but deciding to leave her in her tank top as he laid her on one side of the bed. He peeled back the covers, shifting her over as she began to wake.

"Finn?" she asked groggily.

"Right here babe," he murmured while tucking her in.

"Come cuddle," she directed before turning on her side and presenting her backside to him.

Finn shook his head as he stepped out of his shorts and pulled his polo off before sliding into bed next to her. Pulling her back against his chest he placed a kiss into her hair, holding her close as he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

He could get used to this.

* * *

**A/N: The thought of Rachel saying that his car won't let her go never fails to crack me up-thanks mida212 for that one! :) As always, thanks for the read and please feel free to review!**


	8. Through The Looking Glass

**Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine :(**

* * *

"Welcome to The Cheesecake Factory, my name is Penny and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

Rachel looked up at the blonde waitress, offering a quick smile. "I'll just have a water."

"The same for me, with lemon please," Quinn added, not looking up from her menu.

"I'll be right back with that," the waitress smiled and walked away, mumbling under her breath.

"What are you going to get?" Quinn asked Rachel as she continued to study the menu, her lips pursed as she considered her choices.

"The house salad," Rachel replied, not even bothering to open the menu.

"That sounds good," Quinn declared, folding her menu shut. "We can split a piece of cheesecake for dessert too."

Rachel shook her head no. "No cheesecake for me, you know Sue's weighing us again tomorrow before the game. I don't want to be on flag duty."

"Don't be ridiculous, one piece of cheesecake isn't going to hurt, especially if we split it." Quinn said with a wave of her hand. "You know it's either going to be Holly or Courtney on flag duty-they were stressing about it earlier."

"I'm not going to take any chances," Rachel insisted, pausing their conversation as their waitress set down their drinks.

"Did you decide what you're having?" Penny asked brightly.

"We'll both have the House Salad with raspberry vinaigrette," Quinn answered for them.

"Two salads, or you sharing one?" Penny asked, looking for clarification.

"Two salads," Rachel interjected.

"Ok, got it," the waitress replied. "Anything else?"

"We're good for now," Quinn responded, watching as the waitress closed her book and walked over to a table of four young men, pausing to take their order as well. "I'm going to run to the restroom, I'll be right back," she told Rachel as she scooted out of the booth, placing her purse over her shoulder before walking away.

Rachel watched her walk away, her hands grabbing her own purse when she saw Quinn turn the corner. She quickly pulled out her phone, checking to see if Finn had texted even though she knew he had been at an extra practice. Seeing that he hadn't, she typed a quick message to him, hoping she didn't come across as desperate.

_**Hope your practice went well Tigger!**_

She hit send, hoping it would make him smile. Deciding to see what was going on with her favorite celebrities, she pressed her twitter app, surprised when her phone beeped signaling an incoming text. Closing out of twitter, she checked her texts, a smile of her own forming as she saw he had her texted back.

_**Practice was ok, Roo. How was yours?**_

Rachel looked up, making sure Quinn wasn't on her way back from the bathroom before she typed her response frantically.

_**It was crazy! Sue did her pregame inspection and noticed my nails weren't done :( I almost had to do the Slacker Special but one of the other girls had put on 2 pounds so I was saved.**_

She sent the text and stared at her phone, a smile playing on her lips as she waited for his response. Her phone beeped and she instantly hit view.

_**That sucks baby. She's insane-but you're getting them done now right?**_

Her smile wide from his term of endearment, she typed her response.

_**After dinner; Quinn insisted we eat before so we wouldn't smudge them.**_

After sending the text, Rachel set the phone on the table and looked up again to see if Quinn was heading back. Instead of Quinn approaching, Penny rounded the corner carrying their two salads. Barely acknowledging Penny as she set the salads down and walked away, Rachel picked up her phone, grinning as she read Finn's text.

_**You having pizza?**_

Snapping a photo of her salad, she giggled as she typed.

_**No pizza :) Just salad.**_

She sent it off, debating if she should have added she might feel like having pizza later.

_**Boring…call me tonight when you're done?**_

Rachel was so busy smiling down at her phone as she typed her response that she missed Quinn coming back from the bathroom.

"Who are you texting?" Quinn asked as she slid back into the booth, placing her purse next to her.

Quickly pressing send, Rachel looked up at Quinn and stammered. "Um, I wasn't texting. I was just checking the time. Wouldn't want us to be late for our appointment. You know how Mandi feels about lateness." With that, she dropped her phone back into her purse, hoping Quinn would drop the issue.

"Oh, we'll be on time," Quinn assured her. She raised her brow. "Why are you so worried now? We've had to reschedule twice."

"Right, which was rude of us," Rachel replied. "The least we could do is be on time to make it up to Mandi."

"You know, I'm sure Mandi wouldn't have cared what your hair looked like the other night," she teased, trying to get Rachel to admit she hadn't ditched her because of a bad hair day.

"It was awful," Rachel stressed as she began to eat. "I couldn't let anyone see me like that."

"Mmm. I bet it looked like you had bed head," Quinn ventured. "Or worse, sex hair."

"It was horrible," Rachel agreed, not picking up on Quinn's jab.

Quinn watched her carefully as she too began to eat, wondering how long it would take to get Rachel to crack. She tuned back into the conversation as Rachel began talking about a new routine, confident she'd get the information she wanted soon.

And if she didn't, she'd make Puck get it out of Finn.

* * *

Thrilled that the last practice before the preseason started was finally over Finn stood in front of his locker and listened half heartedly to the locker room chatter as he tried to decide how to spend his evening since Rachel was busy getting her nails done. He'd tried to convince her to spend the night with him instead this morning, telling her it didn't matter what her nails looked like since they'd be covered by her pompoms anyway, but she resisted, claiming that if she didn't get her manicure Sue would put her on flag duty and not allow her to dance. After their recent text exchanges, he was glad she'd insisted, not wanting her to get in trouble. He was debating whether or not to have Puck over for a gaming marathon to blow off some steam or actually catch up on his _Antiques Roadshow_ just as Sam dropped onto the bench behind him.

"God practice was just a bitch today," Sam commented as he dropped his head in his hands.

"You can say that again," Finn agreed, checking to make sure his picture of Rachel was covered.

"Everything aches." He rubbed his hands over his face before sitting back up and looking at Finn. "Hey, didn't you say the whirlpool really helped you relax the other day?"

"Uh yeah. The whirlpool was super relaxing." He smiled a bit at the memory.

His smile grew as he remembered just how he'd relaxed. Lost in his own thoughts, he tuned out of the conversation as images of Rachel in the whirlpool played on a loop in his mind. He grinned to himself while remembering how she'd looked when he'd turned on the jets and how her wet body felt pressed against his. Based on Rachel's screams of pleasure and his own euphoric release, he figured it was safe to say that the whirlpool was _incredibly_ relaxing. Sam was staring at him curiously and Finn realized he'd missed something Sam had said. "Sorry, just thinking about the whirlpool had me starting to relax. Did you say something?"

"Yeah Huddy, Evans wants you to show him exactly how you 'meditated' in the whirlpool to get so relaxed," Puck said casually while staring at Finn, his face a picture of innocence as he continued. "In fact, I think we could all use a little lesson. You got time or do you have to rush off to catch a _flight_?"

"What the hell are you talking about? You know our flight isn't until next Tuesday," Finn replied before turning to Sam. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

"Oh, my mistake. I thought you'd want to get there early. You know, speak with the Flight Crew," Puck commented, pulling off his shirt.

"Why would he need to speak to the flight crew?" Sam questioned. "That's Joe's job."

Puck shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Hudson's got needs only the Flight Crew can take care of." He looked at Finn out of the corner out of his eye, disappointed that his comments about the Crew apparently hadn't fazed Finn at all.

"Regardless dude, do you have time to show us what you did in the whirlpool? I'd like to zone out for a bit," Sam asked eagerly as he brought the conversation back into focus.

Finn turned his attention back to Sam. "Sure thing man, I'll be glad to show you how it's done." He smiled smugly to himself knowing full well he wouldn't be sharing exactly what went down in the whirlpool.

"Great! Let's go," Sam said excitedly as he headed down the hallway.

Finn followed behind him but paused at the door to turn to Puck who was still at his locker, turning over the now dry condom box in his hands. He wondered for a moment if Puck somehow knew there were condoms missing, but promptly dismissed the thought, sure Puck wouldn't actually keep track of how many condoms he had. "You coming?"

"Yeah, I was just debating if I need to bring along protection or not," Puck commented as he caught up with Finn after tossing the box back in the locker.

"Dude, what the fuck would you need protection for? It's just the whirlpool." Finn shook his head in confusion as Puck walked past him towards Sam who was waiting by the pool.

"I heard the whirlpool was contaminated the other day," Puck replied while stepping down into the whirlpool, still trying to wheedle information from Finn. "Someone had some kind of Berry shit in here."

Finn's head snapped up and he stumbled, almost falling into the water. "What the hell are you talking about man?"

"Who cares Finn? Just get in, I want to hear your tips," Sam called out as he sat down on the bench.

His mind still puzzling over Puck's words, Finn stepped down into the water, letting the warm water legitimately relax his legs.

"So where were you at when you relaxed Finn?" Sam asked as Finn got settled. "Were you on the bench or just standing or on the steps or what?"

Finn laughed at the question while he looked at the steps and at the bench remembering clearly how he'd relaxed in both places. His smile turned a bit smug until Puck spoke again.

"Yeah, man where'd the meditation go down? I bet it was on the bench," he added critically, examining the small space. Determined he wasn't going to sit anywhere near where the action had taken place he settled on one of the lower steps, stretching his arms across the tile.

Finn's smile just grew while he watched Puck get comfortable, idly thinking that if only Puck knew how Rachel had relaxed him on those very steps.

"So?" Sam pressed. "Is Puckerman right?"

"Well I tried out a few spots, but I found the best to be the bench," Finn commented as he settled himself down in the exact spot where he had been with Rachel. Closing his eyes, he took a moment his mind recalling how Rachel had looked while sitting on his lap. He let out a quiet moan as he thought of how her breasts had been at the perfect level for his mouth.

Sam sat trying to mimic Finn but quickly became frustrated. "I'm not feeling it Finn. Am I missing something?"

"Yeah, you're missing the berry infusion Finn had," Puck retorted while leaning back against the steps. He kept his gaze on Finn, trying to see if Finn realized that Puck knew exactly what he had done to relax.

"Berry infusion? What's berry infusion?" Sam asked almost wishing he had a notebook to write this down.

"It's nothing," Finn said while glaring at Puck. He could feel his cheeks heating up from the implication of Puck's words and turned his attention back to Sam.

"It's not nothing Sam; it's something new Finn's been trying out but doesn't want to share," Puck taunted from the steps.

"Damn right I'm not going to share," Finn muttered under his breath while trying to think of something to say.

"It's ok; I'll get Mercedes to google it later. Am I missing anything else? Were the jets on?" Sam flipped the switch on the side causing the water to pulse out from the jets.

Finn kept his gaze on Sam and ignored Puck's snort behind him. "Yeah the jets were essential. Sorry I didn't mention that when we first got in."

The water beat forcefully against his muscles and he couldn't help but think of what Rachel must have felt with it beating against her core. Once again, he was lost in his own thoughts, missing the calculating look Puck was giving him.

"It's all good man," Sam said while closing his eyes. He tried muttering "ohm" a few times to see if it would help him relax. He quickly discovered that it wasn't helping and opened his eyes to face Finn again. "It's just not working," he said a bit dejectedly. "Other than this berry infusion thing was anything else different? Wait, I've got it," he cried, snapping his fingers. "You were alone then weren't you?"

Puck gave a snort from his spot on the steps causing Finn and Sam to both look at him. "Yeah, he was alone all right. Just him and his twig and _berries_."

Finn felt the blush work from his neck up to his face at Puck's words and he almost walked over and slugged Puck. Instead he took a breath and stared holes into Puck while he answered Sam. "Yep, that was it. I was alone."

"Why didn't you say so before? You could have just told me all this out there then and I would have tried it on my own," Sam said while running a hand through his shaggy blond hair. "That way I would have been able to buy this berry infusion stuff beforehand too."

"Well it's like I said Sam. Huddy doesn't want to share all his secrets do you Huddy?" Puck challenged from his perch on the steps.

"I'm an open book," Finn replied evenly while closing his eyes again and leaning against the tile.

"Well unless you're going to share your berry infusion tonight I'm going to head out. I have another way to relax waiting for me at home," Sam said, oblivious to the tension between the two men. He wiggled his brows as he walked past Finn and Puck to grab a towel and dry off. "See you guys tomorrow."

Puck waited until the two men were alone before he splashed Finn in the face. "So Huddy, you ready to talk about how you really relaxed in here?"

Finn counted to ten mentally before replying. "I just told you how I relaxed in here. Jets, bench, eyes closed and that's it."

"You're really going to sit there and tell me you didn't get any action in here? Maybe with a certain member of the Flight Crew that you've been eye fucking for weeks?"

"I haven't been eye fucking anyone," Finn denied from his position on the bench.

"Seriously? You going to tell me I'm blind? I have to look at you to throw you the fucking ball and I know when you aren't looking at me you're looking at her," Puck retorted in disgust. "You're lucky that helmet hides that doofy look you always get when you like a girl."

Finn's mind was torn. If Puck was noticing him looking at Rachel were other people? Deciding to test Puck, he asked, "Who do you think I'm looking at if I'm not looking at you?"

"Jesus, you think I'm fucking stupid?" Puck shot out. "Rachel."

Finn stared, not sure what course of action to take. "Rachel?"

"Rachel Berry a.k.a Miss December 2011? I saw you eye fucking her when you fumbled that catch earlier," Puck said slyly, trying to get Finn to admit he'd been staring at Rachel.

"Don't know what you're talking about man. Maybe if you'd have thrown it a little better I wouldn't have bobbled it," Finn replied while giving Puck a puzzled look.

Puck stared at him, not saying anything, his brow arched in question.

Finn looked at him as he considered whether or not to admit that he and Rachel were seeing each other. "Dude, you know it's against the rules."

Insulted, Puck crossed his arms as he glared at Finn. "You think I'm looking to tell somebody? You know me better than that man."

Hating the fact that he was about to lie to his best friend but knowing he had no choice but to do so, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes again so he wouldn't have to see Puck's face. "There's nothing to tell anyone anyway."

Puck narrowed his eyes, surprised that he hadn't gotten Finn to admit he was interested in Rachel. "You sure about that?"

"Positive," Finn said, opening his eyes to slits to peer over at Puck. "Now can you shut up and let me meditate?" he asked, hoping Puck would drop the conversation.

"You going to be able to without that berry infusion?" Puck pressed, trying to get in one last dig.

Finn deliberately closed his eyes, letting out an "ohm" in response. He waited a beat before repeating the sound, trying to keep a straight face.

Puck snorted and shook his head. "Whatever man. I can think of a better way to zone out. You up for some Madden tonight since you bailed on me the other day?" he asked as he stood up from the steps, more than ready to get out of the whirlpool.

"Can't," Finn decided as he sat up, not wanting to give Puck any more time to question him about Rachel. "I have to catch up on _Antiques Roadshow."_

Puck stopped on the top step and looked at Finn slyly. "I thought that's why you couldn't hang the other night."

"I fell asleep," Finn lied quickly, cursing the fact that he'd forgotten his prior excuse for ditching Puck. "I was really tired and just kinda passed out," he elaborated.

Puck stared at him, wondering if Finn really thought he was that stupid.

"So anyway," Finn continued. "I really need to catch up so I'm just going to head home and chill," he said as he stood, crossing to the steps to follow Puck out of the whirlpool.

He grabbed a towel and hastily dried off before walking back into the now empty locker room to stand in front of his locker, Puck trailing behind him. As he pulled clothes out at random his practice jersey shifted, exposing a corner of Rachel's picture. Finn hastily moved the jersey back into place, glancing at Puck to see if he'd noticed while he dressed. He blew out a relieved breath as he saw that Puck wasn't even looking at him but was staring at his phone.

"Alright man," Finn said cheerfully, throwing his bag over his shoulder. "I'm outta here."

Puck looked up from his phone, stunned Finn had dressed so quickly. "Excited to watch _Antiques Roadshow_?"

Finn shrugged. "Gotta make sure I see it before I see Kurt," he reminded him as he headed towards the door.

Puck rolled his eyes while he continued to dress. "Whatever you say man. Guess I'll see your ass tomorrow."

"Later," Finn replied while he pushed on the door. He walked out into the hallway, pulling out his phone immediately to check if he had any more texts from Rachel, smiling as he saw her text that she'd call when she got home. Striding down the hallway, he waved at the security guard posted at the exit and walked out the stadium.

The parking lot was nearly deserted as Finn made his way to his car, unlocking it and tossing his gym bag into the back seat. He climbed in, setting his phone in the cup holder in the center console in case Rachel texted and started the car. The stadium was a distant memory as he pressed the Onstar button, directing the system to call his mom.

"_Hello_?" Carole chirped, her voice ringing out throughout the car.

"Hi Mom," Finn responded as he maneuvered the car through the parking lot.

"_Hi Finny,_" she replied warmly._ "How did your practice go today? You guys ready for tomorrow?"_

"It was long," he admitted. "But yeah, I think we're ready."

"_Good. I'm sure you guys are going to play great-especially with you and Noah playing for the same team again. Did you listen to your good luck song yet?" _

Finn shook his head even though she couldn't see him. "No, not yet." He stopped at a light, his fingers absently tapping the steering wheel as he peeked at his phone out of the corner of his eye, bummed Rachel hadn't texted again.

"_No? But __**You Can't Touch This**__ helped you and Noah go undefeated senior year. Are you going to listen to it tomorrow?"_

"It's on my ipod Mom," Finn explained, not about to go into the fact that he had a new pregame good luck charm in the form of Rachel's picture.

_"Listen to it! I don't want your routine thrown off, baby."_

"Don't worry, I'm sure Puck and I'll listen to it," he assured her, though he didn't say he was sure they wouldn't bust out the moves they'd used in high school to that song. Some things just needed to stay in the past.

"_Make sure you do. Burt's all excited to see the where we're sitting; do you know where we'll be?"_

Finn pressed the gas and moved forward, continuing his drive home. "It's a surprise. He'll love them though I promise."

"_I'm sure he will. Where do we go to get them?"_

"The VIP entrance," Finn told her, merging onto the highway.

"_Ok. I can hardly wait. I even tried to talk Kurt into tailgating."_

Finn laughed as picked up speed. "Yeah? How'd that work out for you?"

"_Not well. I'll get him to do it one day though."_

"I'm sure you will," Finn told her honestly. "I'd pay to see that."

_"That's what Burt said."_

"Well it's a hysterical image," Finn replied, getting off at his exit and making a left followed by a right and then another left.

_"Maybe if I made some healthy tailgate food, he'd go."_

"No such thing," Finn replied, turning onto his street.

"_Did you have dinner yet? Do you want to come over?"_

"I just turned into my driveway Mom, I'm going to heat something up here."

"_Are you sure? I don't mind."_

"No, I'm going to eat and veg in front of the TV for a bit to unwind and go to bed early. Big day and all," Finn told her as he parked the car.

"_Alright baby. You go relax. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, and celebrating the Jets first preseason win at the barbecue Sunday."_

Finn grinned at her confidence. "Hopefully you're right."

_"I know I am. I already have my celebratory cake for the barbecue made."_

He laughed, the image of all of them around the cake popping into his head. The scene grew more vivid as he pictured Rachel next to him, laughing along with his family and he toyed with the idea for a second before making up his mind. "Hey Mom?"

_"Yes baby?"_

"Can I bring someone to the barbecue?" he blurted out.

_"Of course Noah can come. Sam too."_

"I don't mean them," he replied, his fingers nervously stroking the steering wheel. His tone changed as he continued to speak. "I mean...a friend. A friend who's not Puck."

_"I see. Of course your friend can come."_

"Awesome." He let out the breathe he was holding, suddenly dying to talk to Rachel. "I'll talk to you soon, Mom."

"_Love you Finny. Night baby."_

"Love you too, Mom. Bye," he replied before disconnecting the call. He climbed out of the car, grabbing his phone and bag as he entered the house.

His mind was on Rachel, the image of her interacting with his family at the barbeque growing stronger and he wondered if he could get her to actually play in their traditional touch football game. He mulled over the options as he heated up the dinner his mom had left him, debating if it would be better to be on different teams. If they were on opposite teams, he could ogle her, but on the other hand, being on the same team meant they could celebrate touchdowns together.

He pondered this as he ate and cleaned up, various images of Rachel with his family playing in his mind, interrupted only by a debate over whether to shower now or after Rachel called. Even in the shower, Rachel and his family played on an endless loop in his head and he emerged from the shower confident of one fact.

He could hardly wait to see the real thing.

* * *

Stunned by what he was seeing, Kurt looked out the window of the car, amazed at just how many people were crammed in the lot to tailgate for the Thursday night preseason opener.

"This is insane!" he exclaimed to Burt and Carole who were seated in the front of the car. "Is there going to be a celebrity at the game or something? Because if there is, you really should have worn something other than your jerseys," he informed them as he looked over his idea of game day apparel-a pair of dark skinny jeans, a white shirt topped with a gray vest and his leather messenger bag.

"The players are the celebrities here," Burt reminded him as he wound his way through the parking lot, heading towards a section marked VIP. "So we're dressed just fine."

"I've worn Finn's jersey to every game I've seen him play," Carole piped in, twisting in her seat to face Kurt. "Maybe I'll get you one of his jerseys so we can all match," she teased.

"No thank you," Kurt told her shuddering at the thought. "I'm here to watch, that's good enough."

"And your brother appreciates it," Carole told him, reaching back to pat his knee. "And who knows-maybe you'll get to see some celebrities in the crowd now that Finny's playing in New York."

"That's why I brought my binoculars," Kurt told her with a tap to his messenger bag. "Since you wouldn't tell us what level our suite's on, I had to be prepared."

"Your brother just said the tickets would be waiting for us at the VIP lounge," Carole said mysteriously.

"Do you think he got us a better suite than usual?" Kurt asked, trying to wheedle the information out of her. "You know, since we pick them up from the VIP lounge and all?"

"I hope not," Burt interjected. "I told your brother I didn't want a suite anymore."

Kurt laughed as the car pulled up to the valet. "Funny Dad."

"I'm not joking," Burt insisted as he climbed out of the car and handed the keys to the valet. "We get to hang out in the VIP lounge but no suite."

"Come again?" Kurt said slowly as he climbed out and followed his parents , who came to a stop in front of a security guard holding a clipboard. "You told him what?"

"I told him I didn't want any special treatment, I just want to watch the game," Burt told him as he turned to give their name to the security guard. "Hey there, we're here to pick up tickets for Hudson," he explained, showing the ID Finn had given him.

"We're his parents," Carole proudly announced. "And this is Finn's brother Kurt."

The man nodded and checked their name off his clipboard. "You go right on inside that door there," he said while pointing to an unmarked door behind him. "Take a left into the VIP lounge and give them your name. They'll have your tickets. Enjoy the game."

"Thanks," Burt nodded, reaching down to take Carole's hand as they walked towards the door.

Kurt followed slightly behind them, taking in the picture they made. He'd never say it to their faces, but they didn't look too awful in their matching jerseys with the number 88 on them, even if his dad's jeans were baggier than Kurt liked. Catching up to them, he entered the stadium trailing behind Carole, his head swiveling side to side as he took in the tasteful way the VIP area was decorated.

Burt walked around Kurt and over to the lounge door, holding it open for Carole and Kurt. "C'mon Kurt, quit staring I want to find out where our seats are."

Kurt moved to the door and entered the room, noting the soft music being piped through the sound system. "Hopefully our seats are here," he breathed out. He watched as Carole started to walk over to a table where young women were handing out envelopes of tickets, only to be intercepted by a balding man dressed in white from head to toe, a Kelly green sweater draped over his shoulders.

"You must be here for Mr. Hudson's tickets," Sandy beamed as he extended both of his hands to Carole. "He didn't tell me his sister was going to be at the game!"

Carole giggled at the compliment, while Kurt rolled his eyes at the man's clichéd line, wondering who exactly this man was. "Why thank you, but I'm his mother."

"Impossible! You look much too young to be our Finn's mother," Sandy trilled. "But may I say, it's quite easy to see where Finn got his impressive bone structure and fabulous good looks from. We just love having him on the team so far."

Kurt snorted but Carole beamed, accepting the compliment to both herself and Finn graciously. "Thank you, I know he's loving being here."

"Look at me discussing bone structure when I haven't even introduced myself! I'm Sandy, Sandy Ryerson, owner of the team," he announced proudly as he shook Carole's hand and then Burt's. "Welcome to MetLife Stadium."

"Carole Hummel," Carole introduced. "This is my husband Burt and stepson Kurt."

"Lovely to meet you all," Sandy exclaimed, adjusting the sweater around his shoulders. He gestured to a nearby waitress. "Clarisse! Some Champagne for Finn's family and where's my Kenny G? Why am I hearing Aaron Neville?"

The waitress bustled over, flutes of Champagne on her tray. "I'm sorry Mr. Ryerson but we couldn't find your usual Kenny G CD."

Eyebrow raised in disbelief, Sandy quickly handed the flutes to Carole and Kurt, Burt politely declining. "And you thought Aaron Neville would be a good substitute for the legendary Kenny G? Completely unacceptable! I've left multiple copies of Kenny G's _Rhythm and Romance_ with Howard in case of an emergency like this. He knows I've got to get my music on before every game!"

The waitress took off, presumably to rid the VIP area of the sounds of Aaron Neville as Sandy turned his attention back to Carole, Burt and Kurt. "I hope this isn't a precursor to how the season's going to go. Aaron Neville, honestly!"

"Oh it's going to be a great season," Burt predicted. "Finn's been raring to go."

"He's been particularly excited since training camp," Carole added. "I know he was just raving about the locker room and the accommodations you've provided."

"We're so glad to have Finn on the team; he's a real asset," Sandy gushed as he laid his hand on Carole's arm.

"I can't wait to see him play here," Carole smiled. "It's so nice having him nearby again, even if he is too busy to visit his mother."

Kurt curved his lips into a smile, ready to add his charm to Carole's. "This lounge is amazing," he complimented.

"Why thank you. I took a personal interest in the interior decorating of the stadium," Sandy plumed in pride. "Wait till you see the suites. Each one has a different theme. My personal suite is decorated like the Kit Kat Club in _Cabaret_."

"Really?" Kurt asked, hoping the suite Finn got them would have a Broadway theme as well.

"Of course, that's just this season and it depends on how well the team does," Sandy elaborated. "Last season, I had a _Chicago_ themed suite until we hit that losing streak then I switched to _La Cage Aux Folles, _which I don't think I need to tell you snapped us right out of the funk."

"I bet it did," Burt replied, amusement lacing his words.

"You know, you could see much better from my suite," Sandy told them. "I told Finn the other day that you all were welcome to join me there."

Kurt's ears perked at Sandy's words, thrilled to have the opportunity to watch from the owner's suite. However, before he could open his mouth to accept on their behalf Burt was speaking.

"Oh we couldn't possibly impose Mr. Ryerson," Burt told him as he scratched his forehead under the brim of his Jets baseball cap. "We were just on our way to get our tickets."

"It's no imposition at all," Sandy said with a bright smile. "I always like to get to know player's families."

Kurt opened his mouth, ready to pounce on the opportunity but Carole cut him off this time.

"I'd love to sit in the suite with you but Finn is very superstitious about where I sit during games," Carole lied smoothly, placing a hand on Sandy's arm. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you how that is."

"I understand completely," Sandy agreed sagely. "I can't tell you the guilt I felt when Puckerman went down with a separated shoulder the very same day I debuted my _Eqquus_ themed suite."

"Then you see why we can't join you," Carole murmured.

"Absolutely. I'd hate for anything to happen to Finn because you sat with me," Sandy replied seriously. "But If you change your mind, please just let someone at guest services know. I'll leave your name with them and you'll be brought right up."

"Thank you," Burt and Carole told him, each shaking his hand again.

"You're welcome. Let's get you tickets then, shall we?" He turned and strode to the table, locating their envelope and handing it to Burt. "I hope you enjoy the seats and if by chance you are hungry, I strongly suggest our turkey chili. It's positively to die for."

Burt and Carole nodded and said their goodbyes as Kurt stood still, unable to believe his parents had passed up an opportunity to sit in the owner's suite. Blindly, he followed them out the door and into the hallway leading to the concourse, pausing as Burt opened the envelope to look at their tickets, his face lighting up with delight.

"Fifty yard line," Burt exclaimed. "Best seats in the house." He took Carole's hand again and looked up at the section numbers marked along the concourse, turning to the left to head to their seats.

Kurt followed along, growing sadder with each step that carried them away from the VIP lounge. He came to a stop behind Burt who was showing their tickets to an usher. "So we had a chance to sit in the owner's box and you turned it down to sit here?" Kurt asked in disgust as he eyed the steps down towards the field.

"Hey, you said it yourself, we're not dressed to sit in a suite Kurt," Burt said as he walked down the steps. "Plus you can see the action better down here. I told you I told Finn I didn't want special treatment."

"Carole, I'm begging you," Kurt implored. "Please, tell my dad that you want to sit in the suite."

"As nice as that sounds, I'd rather sit here too, Kurt," Carole replied as she followed Burt down the steps and into their row. "Finny can see my sign from here and I'm close enough that if something happens, I can be on the field in two seconds."

"I can't believe you really brought that sign with you. Isn't wearing his jersey enough?" Kurt muttered as he ducked, trying to avoid getting hit with Carole's poster board while following her into the row.

"I like my sign," Carole said with a laugh as she waved it in the air.

"It's adorable," Kurt agreed dryly as he settled into his seat, taking one last look at Carole's sign before crossing his legs and pulling out his binoculars from his bag. "I mean _#88's Great_ has a good ring to it, and I'm sure he'll love the _Go Finny!_ underneath it."

"Thank you," Carole said with a nudge, not acknowledging his sarcasm at all. "Maybe you'll see more celebrities now that Finny's playing here, Kurt."

"I'm sure I might have seen some if we were in the suite," he muttered under his breath.

"Let it go Kurt," Burt warned from the other side of Carole.

"Fine," Kurt muttered, lifting his binoculars to his eyes.

Carole was watching the players on the field, finding Finn in the throng of men stretching and whistled through her fingers. "Go 88! Go baby!" she screamed with a wave. "That's my son," she told the man sitting behind them, unable to keep the pride out of her voice.

"Great," the man muttered. "He better not suck like he did in Cinncinnati."

Burt turned around and glared at the other man. "He didn't suck there and he won't suck here."

Kurt kept his attention to the field, briefly admiring how the short pants really accentuated some of the players butts. The binoculars wandered over to the sidelines where Finn was talking to Puck. Puck's back was to Kurt, allowing his binoculars to be filled with that disgusting Mohawk Puck insisted looked good. Needing to get that out of his vision, he focused the binoculars on Finn's face, immediately noticing that while he was conversing with Puck, his gaze was definitely not on Puck, but rather something behind him. Intrigued, Kurt moved the binoculars trying to find out what Finn found so interesting.

He scrolled the rows in front of them wondering if Finn had found a celebrity in the stands. He certainly hoped so; if he had to suffer through yet another football game (and not even in a suite) he damn well deserved to get an autograph or two. He moved the binoculars between Finn and the stands, trying to determine Finn's line of vision, but to his disappointment, Finn's gaze appeared to be fixed on something lower than the stands.

Once again, he focused the binoculars on Finn, slowly moving them as he followed Finn's line of vision. His jaw dropped when he realized just what Finn's gaze was apparently locked on.

The one and only Mariah Carey.

"Carole," Kurt whispered in awe. "Mariah Carey is here. She's over there right next to those cheerleaders."

Carole looked over at him in surprise. "Of course she's here, she's singing the National Anthem. I thought you knew that-it's been all over the news," she explained.

Kurt plotted as he sat back in his seat, moving the binoculars from his face so he could cross his arms over his chest. "Dad, please," he pleaded as he turned to face Burt. "If she's singing the anthem she's probably going to the suite after. It's _Mariah Carey_!" he cried.

"And your point is?" Burt asked while continuing to watch the players warm up.

"She's one of my idols! If we go now, we could be in the suite before she even gets there." Kurt began to plan and immediately stood up, intent on finding the closest guest service station.

"Sit down Kurt," Burt told him. "We're not going to the suite."

"It's Mariah Carey!" Kurt reminded him. "She's one-third of the Holy Grail. If I got her autograph I'd be well on my way to completing my dream of a Diva Trifecta. Of course if Finn had agreed to go to Celine's Vegas show instead of that awful Pussycat Dolls show, I'd only be a Barbra autograph short after I got Mariah's!"

"You don't know she'd be going to the suite," Carole told him as she picked up her sign and began waving it again.

Kurt just turned and looked at her, disbelief etched on his face. "You think she'd sully her Louboutins by walking through the beer and peanuts strewn on the floor around here?"

"I think you're being a bigger diva," Carole commented as she waved her sign. "Maybe Mariah should be asking for your autograph."

"Don't be ridiculous, Carole. Of course she's going to the suite and I'm stuck down here." Turning again to Burt, he played his trump card. "Think of the food they would have in the suite, Dad. All the fattening, artery clogging food you could want right at your fingertips."

Burt chuckled. "I'll just get my food from the concession stand. The walking up and down the steps will offset the fat right?"

Defeated, Kurt focused again on the field, watching as the teams ran back towards the tunnel. "Oh good, they're heading back to the locker rooms. That means it's almost time to start right?"

"Yep," Carole said as she sat down in her seat, ready to watch the pregame festivities.

"I'm going to get a snack and a beer; you guys want anything?" Burt asked, receiving head shakes from both Kurt and Carole. He turned and jogged back up the steps before they could change their minds.

Kurt lifted the binoculars to his eyes again, tuning Carole out as she chatted with the people in the seats next to them, talking about how great of a player Finn was. He scanned the crowd, trying to see if there were any other celebrities he could pay attention to instead of focusing on the game.

"You spot anyone good yet?" Carole asked as she turned back to Kurt.

"Not yet," Kurt sighed, continuing his sweep of the crowd, ignoring the cheerleaders going through the pregame routine midfield. "I thought I spotted Justin Timberlake but it was a false alarm."

"Sorry honey," Carole commiserated, rubbing his arm. "You can complain to your brother at the barbecue this weekend," she told him with a smile. "Speaking of the barbecue, you know you can bring someone if you want."

"To the barbecue?" Kurt asked, shifting in his seat to face her.

"Yes," Carole chirped. "Finn asked if he could bring someone, so I thought you might want to too."

"He did? Who is he bringing?" Kurt asked before waving his hand at her.

Carole turned to face him, her face excited. "He didn't say but I think it's a girl. He just asked if he could bring a friend who's not Puck."

"He didn't say who? What was his tone like?" Kurt questioned, intrigued at who Finn might be bringing.

Carole smiled. "His tone was different when he said the word friend. That's why I think it's a girl. Has he said anything to you?"

"Just that this was the best training camp he's ever had," Kurt replied, rolling his eyes. "Has he mentioned anyone during your chats?"

"He hasn't mentioned a girl if that's what you mean," Carole said as she thought back on her weekly conversations with him. "But I've barely gotten to talk to him, he's been so busy."

"Has anything seemed different?" Kurt asked, now completely focused on this than on the fact that he wasn't sitting in a suite.

"Well, when I took the food over this weekend there were still things left over from the week before, which is very unusual," she mused. "But that doesn't mean he's dating."

Burt came back just then, inching his way past Kurt to sit on Carole's other side. "Who's dating?" he asked.

"I'm trying to figure out if Finn's dating," Kurt explained as he stood with everyone else to watch the team run back out onto the field, ready to play. With renewed interest, he turned his binoculars back towards Finn, so focused on analyzing his demeanor that he almost missed Mariah coming to midfield to sing the National Anthem. He clapped when she finished, the thought of not meeting her still giving him a slight pang of regret. It was slightly lessened when he watched Finn and Puck walk to midfield for the coin toss, noticing Finn wasn't focused on the coin toss but on something on the opposite side of the field.

Kurt tried to follow Finn's line of vision, wondering if Finn had invited a girl to watch him play and she was seated somewhere else in the stadium. He looked over the lower levels of the section Finn had been staring at, frowning as he saw bunches of middle aged men cheering and hardly any women, other than the cheerleaders right in front of the section.

Assuming from the cheers of the crowd that the game had begun, Kurt watched as the Jets took the field, again admiring how some of the players looked in their uniforms before turning his attention back to the crowd, determined to find who Finn had been staring at. He was so focused that he missed the entire first quarter, not caring that neither team had scored, more so irritated that he still hadn't been able to figure out who Finn was looking at each time he came off the field.

"Kurt, you're looking at the wrong endzone," Burt informed him dryly as he looked over at him. "The Jets are going that way now."

Keeping the binoculars close to his eyes, Kurt replied. "I still don't understand why they do that."

"Kurt can you just put the damn binoculars down and try to watch the game?" Burt asked, exasperated.

"I am watching the game," Kurt protested, not about to admit that he was still looking over the section Finn had been staring at, determined to figure out what had captured Finn's interest.

"Oh my God! Go Finny!" Carol screamed as she jumped up from her seat, her sign waving madly. "Run baby run!"

Kurt got to his feet, turning the binoculars towards the field and away from the crowd when Carole began yelling Finn's name. He found him quickly, running with the ball towards the endzone before he was roughly pushed out of bounds by a player from the other team. Kurt watched with a wince as Finn lost his balance and stumbled into one of the cheerleaders, taking her with him as he hit the ground.

Carole was screaming in his ear but Kurt tuned her out, instead focusing on the shy smile he saw the cheerleader give his brother as he stood, seemingly reassuring Finn she was ok. Finn hastily tossed the football he'd still been clutching to a nearby referee so he could help the tiny brunette stand back up before running back onto the field, giving her one last glance over his shoulder. Kurt shook his head as the tiny girl began waving her pompoms crazily, amazed she wasn't hurt considering Finn's size in comparison to hers.

"Did you see that?" Carole cried out, grabbing onto Kurt's arm, effectively forcing him to lower the binoculars. "They pushed him so hard he ran right into that poor girl."

"I saw Carole," Kurt told her as he tried to raise the binoculars again to look in the section in front of the cheerleader since that's where Finn had been staring all game.

"Oh it's on the big screen now," Carole said while turning to watch the play unfold again. "Where's the flag?" she demanded as she watched the replay.

"Flag for what honey?" Burt asked around a mouthful of peanuts.

"That other player made Finn tackle that girl!"

"Carole that was a clean hit," Burt said, amused at her protectiveness. "He got the first down."

"And she got knocked down," Kurt quipped.

He watched the replay again, cursing Finn's large frame for blocking out the small girl. He pursed his lips as he watched the girl smile again on screen, trying to make out what she had said as she smiled at Finn. Unfortunately, the replay ended before he could see since the game had resumed; the crowd roaring in excitement.

Kurt stayed standing, actually looking at the field with everyone else as Finn ran into the endzone, grimacing instead of cheering as Finn began his celebration dance. "Months of dance classes and that's how he dances when he scores?" he muttered under his breath, not missing the fact that the cheerleader Finn had knocked over had buried her face into her pompoms as Finn danced.

"Leave your brother alone," Carole chided as she high fived Burt before she turned to the man behind her, slapping her palm against his as he cheered along with her.

"I'm just saying," Kurt began as Carole sat back down. "He's going to be on national television doing that. He should seriously consider letting me choreograph his little dance," Kurt insisted stubbornly.

"He's been on TV before," Carole reminded him. "You didn't care then."

Kurt just shook his head at her. "I always cared Carole; he just wasn't close enough to home for me to do anything about it."

"You want to do a dance to AC/DC Kurt?" Burt piped in. "I didn't know you knew _You Shook Me All Night Long_."

Kurt nodded absently as Finn finished dancing, noticing that Finn was again looking at the sideline. Lifting the binoculars again, he tried to see if someone was looking in Finn's direction in that section. He frowned as he realized nobody in the section was looking right at Finn and swung the binoculars down towards Finn again, moving over the cheerleaders quickly before he stopped, focusing on the tiny brunette as she grinned at Finn.

Suddenly, the game got much more interesting for Kurt.

The clock ticked down the last minute of the half, the crowd cheering their team into the tunnel, excited by the 7-0 lead. Burt, along with several other fans from their row, headed up the stairs as the cheerleading squad ran out to midfield to begin their halftime show.

Kurt stared at the petite brunette as the routine began, irritated that she turned to face the other side of the stadium which meant that instead of seeing her face, he was staring at her back. Patiently, he watched the routine progress, pleased when she turned to face his side of the stadium, giving him his first good look at her face. He doubted his instincts for a moment as he looked at her, her unconventional looks not matching Finn's usual tastes at all-since she was neither a blonde or large chested. She was a Midge surrounded in a sea of Barbie's, pretty in her own unique way.

"Isn't this fun Kurt?" Carole asked as she moved in her seat to the beat of the music. "We'll get to see a lot more of Finny's games since he's playing here," she reminded him cheerfully. When he didn't respond, she said his name again.

"Kurt," she said a little louder. "What are you staring at? Trying to come up with a new design for the crew uniform?" Carole teased.

"While I'm sure I could do better, no," Kurt said as he kept his eyes trained on the brunette. "I'm trying to see the girl Finn ran into."

"Oh?" Carole asked as she turned her attention back to the girls dancing, looking them all over but unable to find the one Finn had knocked over. "She's dancing? That must mean she's ok," Carole surmised.

"She's dancing very well actually," Kurt told her, binoculars still in place.

"Which one is she?" Carole asked as she still couldn't find her on the field.

"She's the little one up front, number 88," Kurt told her as he continued to watch Rachel move.

"Number 88?" Carole repeated as she leaned forward in her seat to try and see better. When that failed to help her see, she turned to Kurt. "Give me the binoculars," she said while placing her hand out, fully expecting Kurt to hand them over.

"In a minute," Kurt said as he shifted in his seat to try and avoid Carole's hand that was now reaching for the binoculars

"In a minute they'll be done," Carole retorted. "Let me see or I'll tell Finn what you did to his favorite flannel shirt," she warned.

"It's in a better place," Kurt smirked but handed Carole the binoculars.

"I'm sure your brother would love to hear how you cut up his shirt for rags Kurt," Carole said dryly as she lifted the binoculars in search of the girl Finn had knocked over. "Oh she's cute!" she exclaimed. "I hope Finny apologizes after the game even if it wasn't his fault," Carole said absently.

"Oh I bet he will," Kurt smirked, watching as the squad finished their routine.

"Why do you say it like that?" Carole questioned as she settled in her seat, handing the binoculars back to Kurt as the cheerleaders dispersed to their respective endzones, canned music now filling the stadium as they waited for the game to resume.

"She was staring at him," Kurt said as if that explained everything. "And he was staring right back at her."

"He was probably just looking to see if she was ok," Carole concluded.

"I bet they're _friends_, so I'm sure he would," Kurt replied smugly.

Carole's eyes lit up in understanding. "You think so?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet but I'm going to keep watching," Kurt told her, raising his binoculars once more.

"Oh good, the half time show is over," Burt said happily as he got back to their row. "I couldn't have timed that better."

"It was a good show, Dad," Kurt told him as he again swiveled his knees, allowing Burt to inch past.

"Since when did you start paying attention to the half time show?" Burt asked while settling back into his seat, his beer in the cupholder and food on his lap.

"I've always enjoyed a good dance routine," Kurt replied airily, lifting his binoculars to watch the brunette line up on either side of the player's tunnel. He watched as the players came out, noticing immediately that Finn ran down her side of the line up and also noticing that her pompoms were cheering even more than usual as he passed.

The rest of the game passed in a blur for Kurt, since instead of focusing on the game he was focused on watching Finn try (and fail) to discreetly stare at the cheerleader in the #88 uniform. Kurt felt as though he was watching a tennis match as he ping ponged between the two, growing more certain of the fact that there was something there based simply on their longing looks. When Carole reached for the binoculars, whispering that she wanted to see her again, he reluctantly gave them over, conferring with her after she was done about what she'd noticed. The game completely forgotten, he continued to watch the sidelines, more interested in the longing looks flying between them. He was brought out of his reverie by Burt clapping his hands as the Jets left the field.

"Oh they won?" Kurt asked, surprised that the game was already over.

"They did," Burt told him with a nod, indicating to Kurt to start to walk out of the row. "If you would have stopped celebrity hunting you would have seen it."

"I wasn't celebrity hunting," Kurt said mildly while walking up the steps. "I was just caught up trying to see what Finn was staring at," he explained.

"Probably a member of the other team," Burt said as he led them out of the stadium, handing his ticket to the valet.

"I don't think so," Kurt smiled at Carole.

"Kurt, you'll see him at the barbecue," Carole reminded him as the car pulled up. "We can tag team him about it then."

"What are you two talking about?" Burt asked as he climbed in.

"I just wanted to ask Finn something Dad," Kurt deflected as he opened the back door.

"So text him or tweet him or whatever the hell it is you kids do."

"Dad, I'm not going to tweet him," Kurt replied with a shake of his head. "I'm pretty sure Santana does all of his replying on there."

"Oh no Kurt, your brother does that all on his own!" Carole chirped as she buckled herself in.

Kurt snorted as he pulled out his phone, his father's comments giving him an idea. Carefully, he examined Finn's tweets, positive that Santana wasn't posting them. Clicking on his list of followers, he scrolled through, rolling his eyes as he saw Carole's picture. "You really follow him on twitter?"

"Of course I do!" she exclaimed.

"Maybe he does do post his own tweets," Kurt said with a smirk as he scrolled through Finn's followers, one particular follower catching his eye. "Interesting."

"What?" Burt asked as he pulled out of the stadium.

"Nothing," Kurt replied, busy scrolling through the profile of _RachelBFlightCrew_, his eye immediately falling on _Finn88Hudson_ as one of her followers. Satisfied at what he saw, he resumed checking Finn's tweets, noticing that he'd only retweeted one of the Flight Crew; conveniently Miss 88 herself.

_"Preseason home opener in one hour! Let's go JETS_!" Kurt rolled his eyes, sure Finn thought he was being sly. He clicked back on her twitter handle, displaying her latest tweets and stifling a laugh at the fact that she had also retweeted his "_Who's ready for some football_?" tweet. To amuse himself, he looked back through both of their twitter feeds for more evidence before looking at their list of followers to compare how many they had in common.

Suddenly the prospect of a Sunday barbeque was a lot more interesting.

* * *

"So what day does it leave again?" Santana demanded as Finn held the door open. "Tell me again, Gigantor."

"I know the flight leaves Tuesday, Santana," Finn told her for the thousandth time while walking her to her car. "I'm not a complete moron."

"Don't give yourself too much credit Tubbs," Santana warned as she unlocked her car. "You did good today, even if you did knock that girl over," she admitted grudgingly.

Thinking of Rachel, Finn bent and gave Santana a quick hug. "Gee thanks. You be careful going home."

"Trying to get rid of me Hudson?" Santana asked, her brows arching.

"Yep, I'm beat. Going home and going to bed," he said with an exaggerated yawn.

"Uh huh," she muttered, knowing from his tone that Finn was probably going to be spending the night at a girl's. "Just don't be late on Tuesday, ok?"

"I won't," he promised as she sat in the car. He closed her door and jogged back to his own, ready to get to Rachel's.

"And Finn?"

He turned as he opened his car door, surprised to see that Santana had pulled her Mercedes up next to him. "Yeah?"

"Make sure you wear a condom tonight. I'm not restructuring your contract to include child support payments to a one night stand." She eyed him, one perfectly manicured eyebrow arched.

He flushed, the image of a little Rachel hanging on his leg flooding his head. He dug into his pocket, pulling out the condom he hoped to use tonight and flashing it at her. "Shut up. I always put one on. And for your information, this isn't a one night stand."

"Whatever. Just bag it." She drove off without another word, leaving him shaking his head as he got into his own car and exited the stadium.

Driving as fast as he could, he made his way to Rachel's, nodding at the doorman after parking his car. He pressed the intercom, smiling as she told him to come up. In the elevator he tapped his fingers along his thigh as it ascended, eager to see her and make sure she was really ok. He'd barely knocked when the door swung open.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get here," Finn apologized as he entered the apartment. "The media here is crazy."

"It's ok, I just got home a little bit ago," she replied, stepping back from the door to let him inside.

"Still. The media's not like this in Cincinnati." He stepped into her apartment, closing the door behind him.

"I'm sure everyone wanted to talk to you since you played so well," Rachel said proudly, idly wondering if the sultry brunette she'd seen him talking to in the parking lot as she'd left was a member of the media.

"Yeah, they had a field day talking about the part where I knocked you over," he said with a blush. "Will told them I was a great catch since I apparently play both offense and defense," Finn muttered with a shake of his head.

"I'm sure not that many people asked about it," Rachel soothed.

"Oh they did babe. I can't believe I did that. Are you ok?" he asked, running his hands up and down her arms to see.

"I'm fine Finn," she assured him, taking his hand and leading him into the living room.

"You're sure?" he asked while she led him to the couch.

"Positive."

"I think I should check," he said decisively as he peered at her, sitting himself down and pulling her into his lap.

"Finn, I'm fine," Rachel insisted as she settled over him.

"I know you think you're ok, but I better check to make sure. It looks like you have a bruise," he announced, pushing her hair away from her face.

"Seriously?" Rachel gasped, placing her hand on her chest.

"Lemme look closer." He lowered his mouth to the junction of her neck, his lips ghosting over her skin before he bit her. He picked his head back up to stare at her. "Just as I suspected. You're bruised."

"Finn!" she admonished half heartedly. "You just put that bruise there and you know it."

Undaunted, Finn looked at her wide eyed. "I'm just checking to make sure you're ok," he reminded her, his hands gripping the hem of her t-shirt and lifting it slowly. "I know how much the pads can hurt, I'd feel horrible if my pads hurt you."

"Finn. I told you, I'm fine," Rachel murmured, raising her arms automatically.

"You didn't even know you had that bruise, who knows where else you've got one?" Without waiting for her reply, he removed her shirt, tossing it to the side. He looked at her, relieved to see no bruising, but leaning forward to kiss where he'd hit anyway. His lips ghosted along her collarbone as his hands reached behind to unclasp her bra. "Hmm. This area _looks_ ok but I'd better remove this just to make totally sure."

"That...that might be a good idea," Rachel breathed as he slid the straps down, his mouth now sucking on her pulse point.

The bra tossed to the floor, Rachel watched as he kissed her, her fingers automatically threading through his hair and holding him to her. She moaned as his hands drifted lower, cupping her behind through her capris before coming up to rest on the waistband.

Powerless to resist, she let him lay her on the couch, watching him through hooded eyes as he took off her capris and panties in one motion before swiftly undressing himself and putting the condom on so he could continue his examination of her.

He took his time, making Rachel feverish with desire as his lips roamed over her entire body, occasionally leaving a bruise in their wake. Only when he was satisfied that she was ok did he push into her, his thrusts quickly became erratic as he brought the powerful release both of them were desperately seeking. He rolled off her, breathing heavily as he lay back against the other end of the couch.

"Are you ok?" Rachel asked as she cuddled next to him once he'd disposed of the condom, aftershocks still coursing through her body.

He placed his arm around her shoulders, his eyes closing. "Yeah, I'm just a little sore," he murmured.

"Want me to rub your back?" she offered, sitting up straight on the couch, looking around for her t-shirt. Seeing that his was closer, she picked it up and put it on before picking up her panties and slipping them back on.

He opened an eye and peered over at her. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Ok," he agreed, stretching and reaching for his boxers at the same time. "Where do you want me?"

"Sit right here," Rachel instructed, indicating the spot on the floor between her legs as he put his boxers on.

Finn got down onto the floor, settling his long legs out in front of him, his chin falling forward as she began to massage the back of his neck.

"You played really well tonight," she told him as she kneaded his neck, thoughts of the other woman popping back into her brain out of nowhere. Maybe she wasn't a member of the media but was a football groupie instead, willing to do what she'd just done with Finn in much more compromising positions. "The fans just loved you."

"The whole team played well," Finn admitted, shifting on the floor to give Rachel more access.

"They did," Rachel conceded. "But I bet they didn't all have fans waiting for them after the game," she stated, trying to see if she was right about the potential groupie.

"I didn't have any fans waiting," Finn told her, groaning as she hit a sore spot. "Right there, baby."

"No?" she pressed as she massaged the spot he'd requested more firmly.

"Nope."

Deciding not to beat around the bush, she kept her voice light as she asked him, "So who was that woman you were with then?"

"What woman?" Finn asked in confusion.

"The woman in the parking lot," Rachel told him as she stopped her movements. "I saw you before I left," she explained.

"Hmm?" he asked, his eyes closed as he relaxed against her legs, shifting slightly to subtly try to get her to resume her ministrations. "That's just Santana."

Rachel got the hint and began rubbing her hands over his back again, lightly massaging as she tried to think of how to word her question without seeming clingy. She decided to settle for simple, hoping he would expand his statement, or at the very least explain who Santana was to him. "Oh?"

"Mhmm," Finn groaned, his head dropping forward, his chin practically on his chest as she massaged his neck. "She was reminding me about having to go to Miami next week."

Rachel frowned as she continued to rub, her movements becoming more forceful. "You're going to Miami?"

"Yeah, charity golf outing before the next game," he explained, tilting his head back to look up at her. "I thought I told you about it."

Rachel shook her head no slightly, but forced her lips to curve while she did so, trying not to make it seem like an issue that he hadn't mentioned it. "Is the whole team going?" she questioned lightly, running her fingers through his hair.

His eyes closed in pleasure at the feeling of her hands in his hair and he sighed lightly before speaking. "No. Just me, Puck, Sam and maybe Mike."

Rachel nodded at him, still wondering if Santana was also going and he just didn't want to tell her. "Sounds fun," she murmured lowly.

"It is," he told her, turning over to kneel up on his knees. Leaning over her, gave her lips a quick peck. "I'm gonna miss you though," he murmured against her lips. "Wanna come with?"

She smiled against his lips, kissing him lightly before pulling away. "We have extra practices all next week. Sue's trying to pick the representatives for _AM New York_," Rachel explained while running her hand over his cheek, smiling when he turned his face and pressed his lips to her palm.

"You could play hooky," he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She smiled and leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. "No, I can't, especially since you're going to be hanging out with other teammates. We're not supposed to be dating, remember?"

"I wish I had gotten Santana to change that at my signing," he muttered with a pout. "Stupid Karofsky."

Rachel tensed slightly again at the mention of the other woman. "I forgot she was at your signing," Rachel replied, still unsure of who Santana was. "How could she have changed it?"

"She's a kick ass agent, she negotiated a ton of extra stuff for me there. I should have gotten her to change that, or at least make you my personal cheerleader," he smirked.

"I am your personal cheerleader," she reminded him with a laugh.

"Lucky me." He leaned closer, pressing a few kisses against her lips.

"So Santana is your agent?" Rachel asked, trying to keep her voice casual but unable to get the picture of them talking out of her head.

"Yep," he replied while standing up, offering his hands to pull her up from the couch.

Rachel waited until he'd helped her to her feet before she let go of his hands to wrap her arms around his waist. "Does that mean she's going with you to Miami?"

Finn laughed. "Uh no. She hates golf."

"I see," she told him before giving him a quick squeeze. "You tired?" she asked playfully as he began to maneuver her towards the bedroom.

He stopped walking and bent down to give her a tender kiss. "A little," he said, giving an exaggerated yawn to show he was teasing.

Rachel beamed up at him. "You want to cuddle?"

Finn tilted his head down towards hers as he considered. "Well I am super cuddly you know," he admitted, confident they would be cuddling at some point during the night, presumably after they'd had sex again.

She smiled wider before slipping out of his arms. "Just let me brush my teeth and change. I'll be right there."

Finn nodded and headed towards the bedroom, turning on the light before he got under her covers. He waited for her, his eyes drooping a bit as he realized just how tired he actually was now that he'd actually laid down. He watched Rachel walk in, peeling back the covers on the other side of the bed and patting it invitingly.

"You have any plans tomorrow baby?" he asked as he watched her pull off his shirt, revealing a cute yellow polka dotted lingerie set she'd changed into.

"Breakfast with Quinn, an extra practice and then the meet and greet at Hooters," Rachel replied as she turned off the light and climbed into bed, immediately snuggling into his side. "You?"

"Just videotape sessions," he told her as he kissed the top of her head. "What do you do at the meet and greet?"

"Sign pictures all day, take pictures with fans if they want." She maneuvered her body so that she was lying on top of him, her fingers playing with his hair.

Finn nodded as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. He thought of her picture in his locker and smiled to himself, wondering how she'd react to a picture of him in hers. He yawned hugely, his arm tightening around her and drawing her closer. "Sounds fun."

"Mhmm," she replied, her hand lightly stroking his hair. She stared at him for a moment before she sat up, straddling his waist. His hands automatically attached themselves to her waist while hers rested against his pecs. "Finn?"

"Yeah?" His hands rubbed up and down her smooth thighs.

She looked down, a blush on her face. "Is this lingerie sexy?"

He eyed the white bra with the tiny yellow polka dots and matching panties, running a finger along the edge of her bra. "Are you kidding me? It's insanely sexy."

She let out a relieved breath. "I _knew_ it. I knew Quinn was wrong."

He pulled her to him, rolling them so that she was tucked under him. "Not only is it sexy, but the fact that _you're_ wearing it makes it even sexier."

She giggled, accepting the kisses he was offering before she snuggled into him, her fingers tracing patterns along his chest. She felt him relaxing under her, his leg twitching unconsciously against hers.

"I'm really excited for the barbeque on Sunday," he told her quietly as he snuggled into the pillow, his fingers playing with her hair.

Rachel laid there for a moment as she recalled their phone call when she'd gotten home from her manicure the other night, still surprised he'd invited her to his family gathering.

"_I'm looking forward to watching the new star wide receiver play," she teased. "I bet you guys will win."_

"_Oh yeah?" he murmured. "Funny, my mom's so sure we'll win she started making a victory cake for the barbeque on Sunday." _

"_She did? That's so sweet," Rachel replied._

"_She's a really good baker," Finn explained quickly._

"_Since you have plans for Sunday already, do you have anything planned for tomorrow night after the game?" _

"_Tomorrow? Well, I was hoping I could see you after the game," Finn replied. "I know it'll be late since it's a night game, but would that be ok?"_

"_That sounds perfect, especially since I can't see you before the game," she murmured before yawning as she snuggled into her pillow._

"_Awesome," Finn told her. "Hey Rach?" he asked casually._

"_Yes Tigger?" she replied, her eyes closing as she relaxed further while listening to his voice._

"_About Sunday. Did you have any plans?"_

"_This Sunday? No."_

"_Will you come to the barbeque with me? It's just family-my mom, stepdad and brother, well stepbrother technically," he asked quietly, hoping she would say yes._

_Rachel eyes remained closed as she smiled. "I'd love to go to the barbeque with you," she replied earnestly._

"I'm excited too Tigger," she told him, placing a kiss on his chest before rolling onto her other side, dragging his arm across her body so that he would spoon her.

They cuddled a bit longer, whispering back and forth before the long day caught up with them, causing them to drift into sleep, content in one another's arms.

* * *

After rushing from Rachel's apartment the next morning so Quinn wouldn't know he'd spent the night, Finn had gone home to change before practice, taking an extra minute to search for a picture before tossing it into his bag and leaving the house. Now feeling like he was on a Star Trek mission to boldly go where no man had gone before, Finn walked into the Flight Crew's locker room, stopping immediately upon entering.

It was so different from his locker room. It was so clean and didn't even remotely smell like feet and stale sweat like theirs did. He took a moment just to marvel at the fact that a locker room could be so nice before he remembered he was there for a reason.

He walked forward slowly, reading the name above each locker before finding Rachel's. It was smaller than his for sure and much more organized. A calendar with their game schedule hung on the right side of the closet and pictures of her with various members of the flight crew hung on the left. Like his, her uniforms hung across the back but while his had bulky shoulder pads hanging, hers had her pompoms hanging from the top. With a grin he fingered the material of a short skirt remembering how it had looked on her and how it looked even better on the floor.

He stood there as one minute turned into two, then into three as he remembered their time together. Still grinning, he pulled the skirt forward with one hand as his other quickly attached something to the wall behind it. He dropped her skirt back, satisfied that it hid his surprise. It was at that moment that he heard voices coming towards the locker room and froze.

Shit. He thought he'd be done before anyone came back. His gaze frantically tore through the room as he looked for a place to hide. He was too big to fit in their lockers and he couldn't go for the showers since they might use them. Finally he spotted their water table, which actually had a cloth on it that came to the floor. He quickly walked to it and folded himself in half to hide under it. The skirt of the table had barely fallen back into place when he heard the door open.

"Figures Sue let us out early so we can get lunch before the meet and greet and I forget my purse. I'll be quick," Holly griped to Nikki while making a beeline for her locker.

Nikki laughed shrilly as she replied. "Hurry up, I don't want her to see us lingering around. She might make us go before Dakota again for another inspection." Nikki looked towards the door, hoping that Sue and the team stylist, Dakota Stanley, weren't nearby.

"I know," Holly said as she grabbed her purse. "We're lucky he was so focused on Rachel; he barely even looked at anybody else." Unable to resist, Holly looked at herself in the mirror, checking her makeup. "She really should consider going to my surgeon," she mused.

"I couldn't believe he told her that she needed surgery to even fill out a training bra," Nikki said, amazed at how bluntly the stylist had spoken to Rachel.

"If I were her, I'd consider going in for the works," Holly admitted. "Just to get Dakota off my back-he does this to her every year but she never listens."

Finn listened to the exchange under the table, attempting to sit up straight to hear better once he realized they were talking about Rachel. In the process of doing so, he hit his head on the table with a thump. He held his breath and prayed nobody noticed.

Of course they did.

"What was that?" Nikki asked Holly while looking around the room.

"Who knows; it was probably one of the guys walking past hoping to get a glimpse of these," she said indicating her breasts.

Nikki snorted delicately. "Oh of course that must be it. Maybe you should recommend your surgeon to Rachel."

"I did. I even told her that maybe she could get someone better than that waterboy who's always looking at her," Holly told her with a laugh. "I saw her staring at 88 the other day. Not that he was looking at her or anything-he's _so_ out of her league."

The pair became engrossed in their laughter and didn't notice the door open again allowing another person to enter and hear their every word.

"It's kind of ironic Sue chose this meet and greet to send Rachel too," Nikki pondered as she stopped laughing. "I mean, Hooters? That's just rubbing salt in an open wound."

"I think that's why Dakota got so critical," Holly admitted. "It's not the type of scene she really fits in at. He wasn't wrong when he said that her nose takes up half her face, or that her boobs are so barely there Sue probably makes her wear two pairs of falsies to help fill out her uniform," Holly said matter of factly repeating Dakota's words, ticking the insults off on her fingers as she went. "Did you hear him ask Sue why she was letting cows on the squad because he insisted Rachel gained weight?"

Finn was fuming under the table. What the hell was wrong with this Dakota person? Was he fucking blind? Rachel was gorgeous for God's sake.

Nikki giggled at Holly's words. "You know, I was kind of surprised Sue let her in the calendar last year after Dakota specifically told her not to."

Holly turned to her as she replied. "Oh I know right?! Plus, then Sue gave her my month! I mean hello, Holly/December? Just kind of a perfect fit. Bet they had to stuff that top with a whole box of tissues."

Finn had heard enough. His head hit the table again and he so desperately wanted to get out from under the table and set these girls straight. Instead he froze as he heard another voice.

"Actually they didn't stuff it at all," Rachel said from the doorway where she'd been listening to the girls rant. "It was just my size," she replied with a false bravado.

"Rachel," Holly said a bit surprised to see her. "I thought you'd be at lunch by now."

"I would be but coach asked me to let you two know she wants us at Hooters 15 minutes earlier than she originally said," Rachel explained, omitting the fact that she'd volunteered to tell them so that she didn't have to listen to Dakota's insults anymore.

"Gee thanks, guess we better be going then huh?" Nikki pulled Holly towards the door. It was one thing to talk about someone behind their back but Nikki hated doing it face to face.

Holly gazed at her with pity as Nikki started to pull her from the room. "You know, if you ever decide you want the number for my plastic surgeon, you just let me know. It'd get Dakota off your back," she called out, the door swinging closed behind her before Rachel could respond.

Rachel's eyes burned with tears of humiliation. She walked over to the full length mirror, closely examining herself while the tears fell down her face. Dakota was right. Her nose was huge and her boobs were barely there. She wasn't pretty enough to be here.

Finn waited until he heard the doors close before crawling out from under the table. Following the sounds of crying he walked over to her, seeing her eyes widen at him in the mirror. "Hey," he said softly.

"Finn! What are you doing here?! You're lucky nobody else is here now, you have to get out!" She quickly wiped at the tears on her cheeks before putting her hands on his chest in an attempt to shove him to the door.

He simply laid his hands over hers, loosely clasping her wrists. "I'm not leaving you like this."

"Finn please." She tried to pull her hands from his, more tears escaping when he wouldn't release her hands.

"You know those two don't know what the hell they're talking about right?" He was fuming at those stupid girls for getting inside her head and wasn't about to leave her when she was so upset. His hands ran up and down her arms while he spoke.

"They were just repeating what they'd heard," Rachel whispered. Tears continued to fall down her face as she moved her arms away from him and turned back to the mirror.

"Don't listen to them," he said fiercely. "You're gorgeous."

"I'm not blind Finn," she began. "I _**know**_ my nose is too big and these?" She gestured to her chest. "Well these might as well belong to a teenage boy."

He pulled her back against him before speaking. "As someone who has once been a teenage boy, I can assure you baby that you're _not_ a teenage boy." His hands traced up the sides of her body as he spoke. "And your nose? It's perfect for your face."

His hands continued to lightly stroke over her and he saw her gaze follow his movements. He brought them under her breasts, cupping them gently before tracing their already stiffened peaks. "And these?These are so insanely beautiful, it's unreal."

She let her head fall back against him with a soft moan. It was so erotic to watch his hands moving over her and with every movement of his capable hands she was slowly losing the ability to think clearly.

"You're so fucking perfect Dee," he murmured into her ear while continuing his stroking.

"Dee?" she murmured in confusion as she continued to watch his hands explore her body. She bit her lip as his hands moved further south, finding their way under her skirt to brush her inner thigh.

He lifted his head from her neck and smiled at her. "Dee, for the perfect Miss December."

A smile bloomed slowly on her face and she turned her head to meet his for a scorching kiss. "Mmmm, we can't be doing this now; I have to be leave soon."

"No? I can stop," he said while slowly removing his hands from her body.

She turned in his arms and kissed him again, biting his lower lip before sucking on it. "Don't."

He grinned down at her before scanning the locker room, looking for a discreet location since he was afraid to press his luck with having sex in an open locker room.

Rachel seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. She took his hand and pulled him to the bathroom after grabbing a condom from Holly's locker, correctly assuming Finn didn't have one in the loose fitting shorts he was wearing.

Finn followed eagerly, more than willing to continue their time together. He grinned at her choice of location as he considered all his options, debating if he should take her on the counter.

Locking the door, she turned to see the expression on his face and smiled. "This ok baby?" she asked as she pulled his face to hers.

"Mhmmm, perfect." He whispered against her mouth before he kissed her, slipping his tongue inside as his hand came back up to cup her breast. He pulled away and just stared at her for a moment, taking in the flush spreading over her tear streaked face. Carefully, he reached out and wiped a tear track off her face with one hand, the other snaking around her waist to pull her close.

Still holding her close, he yanked her to her toes while his lips began to nibble and suck on her neck. Feeling her body press closer, he slid a hand down her right leg, squeezing her thigh before lifting it off the floor and wrapping it around his waist. They stood locked like that for a moment until she linked her fingers behind his neck and lifted her other leg to wrap around him.

"I thought you didn't have time," he teased while nipping at the skin above the knot of her shirt.

"I never said that," she murmured against his lips as he walked her backwards until he felt the cool tile of the wall against his hands.

She pushed her hips forward as he slid one hand down her side and across her taut stomach. Her breath caught on a moan as he slid his hand lower and touched her core. She whined as his fingers moved, her entire body feeling like it was on fire and loving it.

Encouraged by her reaction he pushed the material covering her core to the side and skimmed his finger over her. Groaning at how ready she felt he slipped his hand out from between them and pushed his shorts down. He reached behind him and plucked the condom from her fingers. Her legs stayed wrapped around him tightly as he rolled the condom on, her lips sucking on his neck. Bracing her against the wall he thrust up into her, causing them both to groan.

"Rach, look at me," he commanded as he filled her. He waited until her eyes opened before he continued. "You're sexy," he said with a thrust of his hips. "You're beautiful." Another thrust. "And you're so damn _perfect_."

Her eyes closed on a moan as she dug her heels, still clad in her practice boots, into his back as he pinned her to the wall. The tiles of the wall felt cool against her exposed flesh and she thrashed her head from side to side as he continued to thrust. Fisting her hands in his hair, she pulled him close to her chest.

He groaned harshly as he continued his assault, pushing her shirt up to rest on her breasts as he took her nipple into his mouth. She felt incredible and he knew he wouldn't last much longer. He put one hand between their bodies and rubbed circles over her, determined to make her feel as good as he did. When she cried out and clenched around him he followed close behind, moaning her name.

They stood there for a few moments, trying to catch their breath. He lowered her back down to the floor while tenderly kissing the side of her neck. "Mmm, I'm glad you found some time baby."

She grinned at him before pushing him away and smoothing her skirt back down. Her grin faded quickly as she looked down at her chest to see a new mark. She shoved her shirt back down and scrambled out of the bathroom desperate to find her coverup. "Dammit Finn! I'm probably going to be late!"

"You could always leave it," he suggested from behind her as he disposed of the condom and pulled his shorts back up. He wiggled his brows at her as he spoke. "Show those girls and that douche Dakota how much fun you can have on a lunch break."

She blushed scarlet, the hickey almost blending in with her skin. Quickly, she put some concealer on the offending mark. "Funny Finn," she laughed while covering up her latest hickey. "But I don't think the fans coming out to the meet and greet want to see my hickey, nor would Sue."

"Why not? I gave you an autograph," he teased.

She glanced at him through the mirror. "So I should be giving out autographs like this today?"

"Absolutely not," he said firmly. "I'll give you an extra box of sharpies to make sure you don't."

She giggled at his words as she covered another mark. "There. I think I got them all. How do I look?"

Finn just shook his head as he watched her continue to spot check herself in the mirror. "You look beautiful, like always."

Her cheeks turned pink as she smiled. "Thank you." She glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost time for her to leave. "You have to go! I'm _so_ going to be late."

He crossed to her and gave her a kiss. "Call you later?" he asked while beginning to back towards the door.

"We just had sex in a locker room again. You better call," she replied as she checked her hair in the mirror. "Or you could always stop by later," she offered. "I'll be home around 7:30."

"Yeah?" he asked, his eyes lighting up. "I love their wings. Bring me some?"

Rachel smiled as she finished fixing her hair so it didn't look quite so sexed. "Just text me what kind you want, ok?"

"Sounds good, baby." His hand pushed on the door, stopping when she called his name.

"Finn?"

"Yeah babe?"

"Why were you in here earlier?" she asked curiously.

He smiled slowly and walked out saying, "Check your locker."

She waited until he'd left before looking at the contents of her locker. Everything looked exactly as she'd left it. She pondered for a moment before she pushed aside her uniforms. A grin crept onto her face at what she saw.

A picture of him from a charity event now graced the back of her locker. He was wearing a tux and had just a tiny bit of scruff on his face, adding to his sexiness. She replaced her uniforms and grabbed her purse ready to make a mad dash to the parking lot.

She was going to be late and Sue was going to kill her, but what a way to go.

* * *

Kurt trudged up the subway steps, deep in thought at this latest development in Finn's life. He was almost positive that the girl on the Flight Crew was somehow connected to Finn and it irked him that he was in the dark as to how. He and Carole had gone back and forth on it since the game and Finn's questioning of whether or not he could bring a guest to the preseason barbecue, unsure if Finn was actually dating the girl he'd knocked down or if there was someone else. When Finn remained tight lipped upon Carole's questioning, Kurt and Carole had gone into spy mode.

Which is why after a careful study of both Flight Crew's events calendar and a certain member's personal page, he was stuck in Times Square, staring up at the Hooters sign with disdain before he pushed the door open and stepped inside to see her.

"Welcome to Hooters," a perky blonde chirped from the hostess stand. "How many?"

Kurt eyed the young girl, unable to believe he'd willingly walked into a restaurant where the uniform consisted of orange short shorts and a tight white tank top. His repulsion at both the tacky restaurant and the skimpy uniforms was overridden by his curiosity about the girl who'd clearly captured Finn's attention and he pasted a large smile onto his face.

"One," he told the girl quickly as he began to scan the room, taking in all the strategically placed green and white streamers and hanging cardboard footballs in his attempt to find Rachel. "But I'm really just here for the meet and greet with the Flight Crew."

"Well if you're not eating, the line to meet them is right over there," she explained with a bright smile as she pointed to a short line behind her. "Which girl's picture would you like?"

He stared at the small table next to her, ignoring the photos of the redhead and the blondes to point at the brunette's photo. "That one. Rachel."

The girl smiled at him as she passed him Rachel's photo, pointing to another section of the restaurant with her free hand. "Holly and Rachel are over in that corner, so just show the picture to the waitress over there and she'll put you on Rachel's line."

"Great, thanks," Kurt replied, ready to jump on line for his chance to talk to her. He did as directed, quickly getting on the correct line and standing behind a man wearing a number 18 jersey with the name Puckerman above the number. Poking his head around the man, he saw the table set up with two members of the Flight Crew, each of them in their game day uniform, smiling as they signed autographs and posed for pictures.

Kurt looked down again at the promotional picture of Rachel that he was holding, certain that this was the girl Finn had run into at the game. He studied the face in the picture, confused as to why Finn had stared so long at her since she wasn't the type he usually went for, but Kurt knew she had caught Finn's eye.

Kurt eyed the members of the crew that were at the event, shaking his head at the obvious dye job on the redhead, while moving forward on line. He looked around and rolled his eyes at the amount of middle aged men wearing Jets jerseys, several sitting at tables and shoving in wings and beer while others stood on line like him, waiting for their chance to talk to members of the Crew. Finally the line inched forward again and he found himself one step closer to Rachel.

Kurt stepped up as Rachel lifted her head, offering a smile and a wave to the pudgy middle aged man she'd just signed an autograph for. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her critically, comparing her to the girls Finn had dated in the past and finding no similarities. She wasn't the conventional beauty Finn was usually drawn to, his tastes in the past usually having been more in line with the blonde at a table in the other corner. He was so intent in his study that he missed the fact that she had spoken, causing her to repeat herself.

"Hi," Rachel chirped again, sending him a bright smile as his eyes met hers. "I'm Rachel," she continued, trying to break the ice as he continued to just stand and stare at her.

"Rachel," Kurt repeated, bringing himself back to the moment. He offered her the official Jets picture of her to sign, pondering the best way to begin his questioning. He didn't get a chance to ponder long, as Rachel struck up a conversation.

"I hope you weren't waiting on line too long; did you get some wings while you waited? I hear they're really good," she said as she looked up at him, surprised by his choice of attire since most men were in jerseys and he was standing before her in skinny jeans and a button up, a scarf wound around his neck. She waited for him to reply, the sharpie in her hand poised over her picture.

Kurt shuddered and looked at her, wondering if the information she'd put up on the Flight Crew website was true since it claimed her favorite food was Italian. "No; I couldn't possibly stomach those."

"I don't actually eat them either," Rachel confessed with a sheepish smile. "My-" she paused before the word _boyfriend_ came spilling from her lips, since she wasn't sure what their relationship was exactly. "My...friend really likes them."

"So does my brother," Kurt said as he rolled his eyes. "He claims they're both an appetizer and an entree," he explained further with a shake of his head. "Which naturally means he thinks he can eat twice as many. It's revolting."

Rachel offered a sympathetic smile. "I promised my friend I'd bring him some tonight. He seems to really have a craving for them judging by the amount he wants me to bring."

"Really? How sweet," Kurt said dryly. "Hope they don't eat as much as my brother."

Rachel smiled as she thought of Finn's order. Sure, it sounded like a high number to her, but he'd told her he'd just have whatever was left over after he was done sexing her up. "I'm sure if he doesn't finish them today he'll munch on them tomorrow," Rachel told him as she picked up her sharpie. "Now-"

"They have kosher wings, Rachel?" Holly asked from her seat next to Rachel before Rachel could finish speaking.

"I have no idea, why?" Rachel replied as she turned towards Holly.

"Well first you-know-who was checking you out at practice and now you're getting wings for a male '_friend_'," Holly teased. "I just put two and two together."

Rachel rolled her eyes and shook her head at Holly. "That's _not_ who the wings are for," she said quickly as she turned back to Kurt, who'd listened to this exchange with interest.

"Sorry about that. Did you want your picture taken or just the autograph?" she asked, her smile bright as she blinked up at him, flipping her hair over her shoulder and exposing part of the hickey Finn had left.

Kurt immediately noticed the red mark on Rachel's neck and frowned. "Oh, did you burn yourself?" he asked sympathetically.

"No." Rachel stared at him, puzzled by his question.

"You're sure? That spot looks really red," Kurt said as he leaned closer to point it out.

Rachel's hand flew to the side of her neck suddenly aware of what he was talking about. "Oh! Oh, you're right...I did burn myself. I just...forgot. I forgot."

Kurt watched as Rachel flushed, realizing immediately that it wasn't a curling iron burn but in fact a hickey. Not wanting to embarrass her, he tried to turn their conversation back around to a less awkward topic while still gathering the information he came for. Remembering her last question, Kurt spoke absently. "No picture," he replied with a shake of his head. "Just the autograph."

"Ok." Rachel stared at him expectantly her blush beginning to fade as she waited, her sharpie poised over the picture. "Who am I making it out to?"

"You can make it out to Burt," Kurt said with a wave of his hand, the actual autograph not important to him at all since he just wanted a chance to check her out.

Rachel swirled her name onto the paper, adding a star at the end of it before handing it back to him. "Here you go Burt," she said warmly.

"I'm not Burt, my name's...Nathan." The fake name flowed from his lips, afraid Finn might've mentioned him and she'd realize who he was. He shook his head as he accepted the photograph.

"Oh well I hope Burt enjoys it." She smiled at him as she capped her sharpie.

"It's for my dad, a birthday gift," Kurt explained as he lingered in front of Rachel. "He's a huge Jets fan."

Rachel folded her hands on the table in front of her, nodding along as Kurt spoke. "That's great!"

"He really likes that new guy, I think number 88?" Kurt elaborated, keeping his eyes on her face as he spoke.

"Finn Hudson," Rachel said quickly.

"Right." Kurt laughed along, noticing how quickly Rachel said his name. "So he'll be even more excited that his autograph is from the Crew member with the same number."

"I'm glad," Rachel replied with a wide grin.

"Did you pick that number because you like him too?" he asked innocently.

Rachel blushed slightly at his choice of words-if only he knew how much she liked Finn. With a shake of her head she replied, answering his question indirectly. "We don't pick our numbers," she shrugged. "We just take whatever we're assigned."

"I see." Kurt nodded, again trying to think of how to steer the conversation. "Is it hard to date when you're on the team? Like do your boyfriends get jealous because you spend time with all those other hot guys?"

She looked up at him in surprise at his question, wondering why he'd asked since it was obvious to her that he was gay. Catching Holly's smirk out of the corner of her eye, she thought of her response carefully. "Well I am seeing someone," she began. "But I don't think he minds that I'm on the Crew."

"You update your page to say that your dream guy has curly, frizzed out hair and thick glasses?" Holly teased as she leaned forward on the table, giving the guy in front of her a great look at her cleavage. "Cause then I know who you're seeing," she sing songed.

Kurt watched Rachel carefully, knowing full well what her profile page said she considered to be her ideal man and that none of those attributes were on the list. There were however, a few on the list that could definitely relate to his brother, objectively speaking of course.

"Nope," Rachel said brightly as she gave Holly a fake smile. "It's still the same qualities as always."

"Tall, dark and handsome?" Kurt chimed in, again knowing that wasn't how anything on Rachel's page was exactly worded. Instead her page said she was looking for a sweet guy who would make her laugh, among other things.

"I wouldn't complain," Rachel laughed just as a blonde Crew member came over to their table.

"Rachel, can Brits and I borrow a few sharpies? Ours died."

"Sure, Quinn." She handed a few markers over to Quinn, before turning her attention back to Kurt.

"Who do we have here?" Quinn asked, smiling at Kurt.

"This is Nathan. His dad's a big fan," Rachel announced, smiling widely. "We're just discussing being on the Crew."

"I was just asking if your boyfriends mind you being on the Crew and having all those men ogling you," Kurt added, hoping to get some more dirt.

"Oh?" Quinn arched an eyebrow. "And what did you say?"

Rachel flushed. "I was simply explaining that most boyfriends and husbands don't mind our job."

Kurt smiled along, determined to get back on track. "So does your guy come to the games? Since he doesn't mind that you're on the squad?" he asked, trying to confirm that she was dating Finn.

"He does come to the games," Rachel admitted with a playful smile. "But I think he's there more to see the game than to see me," she added, thinking she was being clever. Since her eyes were on Kurt, she missed Quinn smirking as she walked back to her own table.

"Oh I'm _sure_ he watches you," Kurt said dryly before deciding to tease a bit further. "I bet he had to stop himself from running onto the field the other night when the other #88 ran into you."

Rachel felt her cheeks grow warm as she tried to think of a clever response. "That would have gotten him kicked out of the game for sure," she explained. "He could see I was ok since I got back up right away." A smile appeared on her face as she thought about how thoroughly Finn had checked her later to make sure she was ok.

"I bet." Kurt smirked, noticing the dreamy smile on her face.

Rachel looked up at him as she realized his comment meant he'd been at the game as well since she was sure the cameras hadn't caught Finn running into her. "So you saw the game the other night?" she asked politely.

Kurt nodded. "Like I said, my dad is a big fan of #88, he was pumped to go."

"Always good to know we have fans excited for the season," Rachel replied, noticing the line was forming again. "It was really nice talking to you Nathan, but-"

Kurt turned around as she paused, seeing that there was once again a line. "One more thing and I'll be out of here. I just want to say you're a very good dancer. I bet your boyfriend is too," he said innocently, his prying making her smile slowly.

"He needs some work," Rachel corrected as she laughed, thinking of how he'd danced on their dates.

"I'm sure you'll help him. Thanks for this," he said, holding up the autograph. "He'll love it."

"You're welcome," she replied. "Nice to have met you," she said with a wave.

"You too," Kurt smiled as he walked away, immediately pulling out his phone. His thumbs worked quickly, sending Finn a text as he exited Hooters.

_**Feel like dinner tonight?**_

He walked away as he waited for Finn's reply. Moments later his phone beeped.

_**Thanks, but I'm good. Having wings tonight-your favorite...**_

Kurt smirked as he read the message, knowing exactly where the wings were coming from. Quickly pressing his speed dial for Carole he held the phone to his ear as he walked, waiting for her to pick up. Hearing her hello, he grinned and simply said, "It's totally her."

* * *

**A/N: The thought of Kurt having to go to Hooters makes me laugh every time I read it. Thanks for the read and please feel free to review :)**

**A/N2: Thanks mida212 for powering through this in case you lost power-you didn't have to! **


	9. Autograph Awkwardness

Disclaimer: Glee is not mine :(

* * *

Finn watched Rachel as she stood at the kitchen counter, meticulously packing a bakery box full of the sugar cookies she'd finally settled on taking to the barbeque. He had tried to insist several times that she didn't have to bring anything, but she was convinced otherwise and had spent all day Saturday baking and having Finn test different batches of cookies, almost crying when he'd told her the seventh batch tasted the same as the first. Quickly realizing his mistake, he'd told her the eighth batch tasted absolutely perfect, thrilled when she'd believed him and finally moved on to decorating them. She'd refused his offer to help decorate, instead insisting that he relax and watch the other preseason games on TV while she finished, promising that they could order Chinese when she finished.

He hadn't known there were rules for eating Chinese, but then again, he'd never had Chinese with Rachel before. He'd ended up naked before he'd even got to his Egg Roll and they'd had to reheat the food several times.

Smiling at the memory of the previous night, he noticed Rachel tying the bakery box closed with a bright green ribbon. Standing up from his chair, he walked over and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "You ready to go now, babe?" he asked, punctuating his question with a kiss to her throat.

She shifted in his arms, preventing his lips from doing anything more than grazing over her neck. "I guess so," she admitted slowly, biting her lip in contemplation. "You're sure I'm not overdressed?"

"I'm positive," he reassured her, not wanting her to change her dress again. "This dress is super pretty, and you look gorgeous. So can we go?"

Rachel pressed her hands to his, holding them for a moment before she unwrapped his arms from her body so she could pick up the cookies. "Ok, let's go."

Finn walked to the door, waiting as she grabbed her keys and purse before he opened the door and ushered her outside into the hallway. He closed the door behind them, taking her free hand in his as they walked towards the elevator.

"We can take the stairs," Rachel offered. "I don't mind walking in these sandals."

"I know, but I can't kiss you on the stairs," he said as the elevator doors opened and he tugged her inside. Pressing the button for the lobby, he leaned in and kissed her as the doors closed.

His lips were still on hers when the doors opened to the lobby, neither hearing the ding signaling they had arrived. Instead, a cough from a young woman waiting broke them apart.

"Excuse us," Rachel murmured as she exited the elevator.

Finn smiled at the other young woman as he stepped out of the elevator before walking away with Rachel hand in hand, completely missing the fact that the other woman was staring at his butt as the elevator doors closed.

He led Rachel to his car, opening the door for her and waiting for her to get settled before closing it. Stealing another kiss, he walked around the back of the car and opened his door, sliding inside as Rachel fussed with the box of cookies on her lap. "I'm so glad Quinn was out of town this weekend," he told her as he started the car.

"Why's that?" Rachel asked, turning her head to look at him.

"Well most important, I had some uninterrupted time with you," he began. "Plus, I didn't have to park my car around the block in case she saw me."

Rachel smiled at his words. "You had a good weekend then?"

"I had a great weekend," he corrected as he drove out of the parking garage.

"I had fun too," she added with a smile.

"And it's not done yet-I can't wait for you to meet everyone," Finn told her honestly as he maneuvered the car onto the street.

Rachel licked her lips before fiddling with the bow on the box of cookies. "Everyone?"

"Yeah, my mom, stepdad and stepbrother. Though I don't really think of them like that-Burt's the only dad I've known and Kurt's just my brother."

"Your mom's last name is Hummel right?" Rachel asked as they drove onto the expressway.

"Yep, she took Burt's name when they got married," Finn replied. "But I'm sure she'll tell you to call her Carole."

"I just wanted to make sure I didn't call her the wrong name," Rachel said as she looked out the window.

"Baby, you're going to be fine," he assured her with an absent smile.

"They know I'm coming right?" she asked, whipping her head to face him.

"They know I'm bringing someone," Finn hedged with a smile. "Someone that isn't Puck," he teased.

"So you didn't tell them I was coming?" Rachel asked again.

"No," Finn stated. "I said someone. My mom would have driven everyone insane if she knew I was bringing a girl."

"What do you mean she'd have driven everyone insane?" Rachel pressed, her stomach twisting into nervous knots as she wondered if he should take her home. "Are you sure it's a good idea to surprise her like this?"

"I meant she'd drive everyone crazy trying to impress you," Finn explained as he exited the expressway. "We'd be eating off the fine china for this barbeque if she knew I was bringing you."

"Oh," Rachel replied quietly.

"Yeah, she gets excited." He smiled at her, watching out of the corner of his eye as she twisted a lock of hair around her finger.

"Do you think I made enough cookies?" she asked nervously, playing with the box in her lap. "I don't like getting store bought but-"

"Baby, you didn't have to bring anything at all," he reminded her. He stopped the car at a red light and turned to face her, his tone reassuring. "Are you really nervous? Cause you have no reason to be, they're going to love you."

She offered him a weak smile in return, looking up at the light after a moment. "The light's green," she murmured.

Finn looked back at the road, pressing on the gas and moving forward as he tried to think of how to put her at ease. He made a quick right followed by a left, entering the subdivision where his parents lived.

Rachel flipped the visor down as he drove, angling it to down to check and make sure all of her hickeys were covered.

"Rach, you look beautiful," Finn assured her.

"I just want to make sure all of your hickeys are covered," she replied as she tilted her neck to check it. "I don't want to have to say my curling iron burned me when I obviously haven't curled my hair."

"I swear everything is covered," Finn promised.

"That's what I thought when I went to that meet and greet and look what happened there," she reminded him.

Finn chuckled as he remembered her embarrassment over being caught at Hooters with a hickey. "You really should have told that guy it was an autograph," he mused.

"Well I'm certainly not telling your _mother _that you gave me an autograph like that!" she cried, turning her head again to check for marks.

Finn pulled into the driveway, putting the car into park before he turned to look at her. "Well no, because everything is covered," he told her with a smile.

"You're sure?" she demanded. "You're better at giving hickeys than at finding them."

He smirked. "While that's true, we've got a barbeque to get to. Now come on."

He unbuckled and jumped out of the car, making it to her side before she'd even unbuckled her seatbelt. She watched as he opened the door and took her hand in his, almost yanking her from the car. "I _promise _they're going to love you."

She stayed close to him as he closed the door and led her into the house. As they passed the kitchen, he took the box of cookies from her, setting them on the table before leading her to a set of French doors that opened out to a deck. He opened the door and walked through, pulling her with him as he went.

Rachel ducked behind him slightly as they made their way onto the deck, her nerves at the thought of meeting his family taking over. She could hear voices talking as she trailed behind Finn, crashing into his back as he stopped and said hello.

"Hey Mom, hey Burt," he said, alerting the duo to his presence.

"Finny!" Carole said warmly as she turned and smiled at him.

"Hey, Finn. Just in time for the food as usual," Burt greeted.

"Congrats on your win, baby," Carole praised as she tried to peek around Finn, having already noticed the girl behind Finn.

"Thanks Mom," Finn replied, rolling his eyes at her failed attempt to subtly check out Rachel. He grabbed Rachel's left hand and pulled her out from where she'd been hiding behind his back. "Mom, Burt, I'd like you to meet Rachel."

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Hummel," she began while nodding her head towards them both and offering her right hand forward towards Carole first.

Carole looked down at the outstretched hand and took it and gave it a quick squeeze instead of a shake. "It's Carole and I'm so pleased to meet you. I'm glad you were able to make it." She turned expectantly towards Burt who was staring at Rachel, giving him a slight nudge with her elbow.

"Hi there," Burt said slowly, his brows beetling as he looked at Rachel, immediately recognizing her as one of the Flight Crew. He looked back at Finn, hoping that Finn had just brought her home so that Burt could say he'd met one of his top three favorite members of the Crew in person since most of their meet and greets were during times that Burt was working. "Thanks for coming."

"Well thank you for including me," Rachel said as she tried to tug her hand free from Finn's but to no avail. "I brought some cookies," she continued while squeezing Finn's hand trying to tell him to let go of her.

"I just left them on the table. They look really cool," Finn dropped Rachel's hand as he spoke and instead slung his arm around her shoulders. "She made these awesome sugar cookies that look like little jerseys and footballs."

"Oh wonderful, I can't wait to see," Carole exclaimed with a smile. "You really didn't have to bring anything though sweetie."

"I wanted to," Rachel replied earnestly, leaving out how many batches she had baked. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No sweetie, you just go relax," Carol suggested with a warm smile. "Finny, make sure you get Rachel something to drink. Burt, don't you think you should fire up the grill?" Her directives issued, she walked back into the house leaving them on the deck.

"I better get on that," Burt said before walking away to fiddle with the giant grill on the opposite end of the deck.

"See, was that so bad?" Finn asked, his hand sliding down her arm to find hers while he led her down the deck steps towards a cooler. He flipped up the top and scanned their choices, pulling out a beer for himself. "Mike's Hard Lemonade, Bud Light, water, Coke?"

"Water, Finn! I can't drink around your parents!" she hissed looking around to see if anyone had heard them.

"Rach, don't be ridiculous. It wouldn't be here if it wasn't meant to be drunk," he said trying to reason with her. "Besides it's not like you're not old enough to drink. I'm pretty sure my mom will be ok with it."

Remembering the last time she had drank in front of Finn she shook her head no emphatically. "No, just the water, I don't want to. What if I called your mom Kanga or something because I drank too much? I'd be mortified!"

Finn's lips quirked as he handed her the bottle of water, trying to imagine what his mom's reaction would be to being called a name from Winnie the Pooh. "Isn't Kanga Roo's mom?" he teased. "Shouldn't she be Tigger's mom? Did Tigger even have a mom?"

"Of course Tigger had a mom Finn," Rachel chided as she took the water. "We just didn't meet her in the stories but that's not the point," she told him while playing with her necklace one handed. "I just want to make a good first impression."

"You already did," he assured her. He stood and stepped closer to her, putting his arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her hair.

"You don't know that," she worried, her hands playing with the water bottle.

"Actually, I do. Come on, let me introduce you to my brother. You'll like him," he said confidently, leading her down the slope of the lawn towards a picnic table.

Rachel offered him a small smile and looped her arm around his waist, following him down the grass where a man was singing along quietly to his iPod as he flipped through a magazine idly at the picnic table. Rachel felt Finn squeeze her shoulder once before his arm dropped away from her to close the other man's magazine, causing him to look up in surprise at the duo. Rachel's jaw dropped from shock as she realized she'd actually already met Finn's brother.

"Hey," Kurt cried out as he looked up, pulling the earbuds from his ears as he stood. "I didn't know you were here!"

"We just got here," Finn told him, stepping back and putting his arm back around Rachel. He looked down at Rachel with a smile. "Rachel, this is my brother-"

"Nathan," Rachel announced with a tiny smile as she reached her hand out to Kurt. "It's so nice-" she began, only to be cut off by Finn.

"Who's Nathan?" he murmured, clearly confused as he looked around the yard, thinking that he'd missed someone. "This is my brother _Kurt_," Finn explained, watching as she placed her hand out tentatively.

"It's nice to see you again," Kurt said with a nod, cutting Rachel off before she could respond to Finn.

Finn looked between the two, confusion etched onto his face. "You two know each other?"

"We met at Hooters," Rachel explained slowly. "I must have mixed up his name," she offered, looking to Kurt for confirmation.

"You went to Hooters?" Finn asked doubtfully as he turned to Kurt, who'd begun to shift side to side uneasily. "Why? You hate it there."

"I was in the neighborhood," Kurt began, going through the lie he'd practiced several times in preparation for his meeting with Rachel. "And I know how much you love their wings, so I thought I'd get you some."

"You were in the neighborhood," Finn repeated suspiciously.

Kurt nodded, his eyes looking between Finn and Rachel, noticing just how protectively his brother was holding onto her. "Oddly enough, the cheerleaders were there when I went in and since they cheer for you, I said hello."

"Oh my god," Rachel moaned, her face flushing before she turned and buried it in Finn's chest, mortified as her experience with Kurt at Hooters ran through her mind, one particular fact bothering her more than most.

Finn's hand automatically began stroking up and down her back as he eyed Kurt. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Kurt said quickly. "I was just-"

"_**Kurt**_."

"He got my autograph," Rachel mumbled into his chest.

"What baby?" Finn asked, unable to understand her.

Rachel lifted her head to peek up at him. "He got my autograph," she repeated. "For _Burt_!"

"Seriously?" He looked to Kurt for confirmation but Kurt remained stoic.

"He got my autograph for your Dad," she wailed before burying her head back in Finn's chest.

"What the hell dude!" Finn glared at Kurt, waiting for him to respond. He felt Rachel mumble against his chest again and placed another absent kiss to her hair in an attempt to comfort her.

"I didn't give it to him yet," Kurt began, as if that made the situation better. "I just wanted to get a jump start on his gift and you know how much he loves the cheerleaders," he said smoothly trying to avoid saying that he really only went to meet Rachel. "So the fact that I could get Rachel's autograph while getting you wings was the perfect opportunity for me to kill two birds with one stone."

Finn snorted at his explanation, holding Rachel close to him. "Bullshit. You always get Burt clothes so what were you really doing at Hooters Kurt?"

Kurt's mouth flapped open then closed before he threw his arms up in defeat. "It's all your fault you know," he accused, shooting Finn a glare.

"How is you apparently stalking Rachel my fault?" Finn cried while he continued to rub his hand over Rachel's back, hoping to calm her down.

"I didn't stalk her! You ran right into her at that game I went to," Kurt huffed with a wave of his hand. "A game where I had to sit with the crowd instead of in a suite, mind you," Kurt continued with a glare.

"Kurt," Finn said lowly. "What does that have to do with you going to Hooters?"

"Well after watching you watch her the entire game, I was intrigued," Kurt defended.

"Mom told you I was bringing someone didn't she?" Finn said, his eyes narrowed at Kurt. "And you just had to go all Inspector Gadget on me and spy didn't you?"

"Whatever Carole may have told me is irrelevant," Kurt replied. "And I prefer to think of myself as a modern Poirot."

Rachel's head shot off his chest suddenly, causing Finn to look down at her. "You ok baby? "

Rachel shook her head no, rising up on her tiptoes to press her lips near his ear. "He saw your autograph," she hissed.

Finn turned his head slightly and pulled back to look at her. "I thought he got your autograph? I didn't give him mine," he whispered back.

"No Finn," she told him. "He saw your _autograph_," Rachel stressed, trying to discreetly touch her neck.

"I'm sure he didn't notice," Finn assured her as he realized what she meant.

"Are you talking about the hickey you left?" Kurt interjected. "Because I actually thought it was-"

"A curling iron burn?" Finn finished slowly, looking down at Rachel as understanding dawned. "_**He's **_the guy who noticed?"

"I can't believe you still leave hickeys where other people can see them; you're not a teenager anymore you know. If you're going to mark someone at least have the decency to keep it private so other people don't see it!" Kurt directed while crossing his arms at the pair.

Finn tucked Rachel into his side as he glared over at Kurt. "Yeah well you only saw the one on her neck, you didn't see the one on her bo-"

"Finn!" Rachel cried out in horror, looking up at him wide eyed.

"What?" Finn asked, still ready to prove his hickey skills weren't that of a high schooler. Catching the horrified look on Rachel's face, he quickly tried to turn the conversation back to Kurt. "I still can't believe you went there in the first place," he sputtered.

"I just wanted to see her in person," Kurt explained with a shrug, leaving out the speculating he and Carole had done.

"But how did you even know she'd be there?" Finn asked as he resumed stroking Rachel's back.

"It was on the Flight Crew website," Kurt explained. "Which I found through Rachel's twitter," he said with a smile, anticipating Finn's next question.

"You found my twitter account?" Rachel asked, trying to recall her posts.

"Well it's not like it was that hard to find since Finn retweeted you and you retweeted him. Plus you're the only member of the Flight Crew he follows," Kurt told her with a roll of his eyes at her shocked expression.

Rachel looked up at Finn. "You have to take me home," she stated firmly. "I can't possibly look your parents in the eye."

"What?" Finn asked. "Baby no. Just because Kurt's an ass-"

"It's your parents," she said again. "I can't look at them knowing I signed a picture for Burt."

"Oh, it's not like I gave him the picture yet," Kurt reminded them with a wave of his arms.

"_Yet_?" Rachel cried, reaching out and gripping his arm. "You can't ever give it to him!"

"He can hang it in the shop next to Finn's picture," Kurt suggested, pulling his arm out of her grasp.

"Not cool man," Finn growled. "Just give me the picture."

"Give it to you? But Dad really would-"

"Kurt!' Finn said sharply. "Seriously. Give me her picture."

"Fine," Kurt announced, watching Rachel's shoulders slump in obvious relief.

"Thank you," Rachel mumbled, lifting her eyes to Kurt. "I really appreciate it Kurt," she told him honestly.

"It's not a problem. Dad would have flipped, but I'm sure he'll be just as happy with the silk pajamas I got him," Kurt replied dryly.

"I could get another Crew member's autograph if you really want to give Burt one," Rachel offered, hoping Kurt would take it as a peace offering.

Kurt considered carefully knowing there were a couple of other Crew members Burt favored. "Can you get the girl who ran out of Sharpies?"

Rachel nodded eagerly when she realized he meant Quinn. "Absolutely," she told him positively. "Would that work?"

Kurt pursed his lips and nodded slowly. "That'll do."

"Ok, I'll get it and give it to Finn," she smiled tentatively. Trying to switch topics so that they could all start to put this debacle behind them, Rachel licked her lips. "Was that _Tell Him _by Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion you were singing before?"

Recognizing her tactics, Kurt nodded again at her. "Yes," he smiled, pleased she could recognize the music of two of his icons. "They're part of what I consider to be my holy trinity-Barbra, Celine, and Mariah."

"Oh I love all of them," Rachel replied, her eyes lighting up as she looked at Kurt's ipod.

"Well Kurt's got the whole collection on there," Finn interjected. "Pretty sure he has more of their music on there than I have plays in my playbook," he joked, looking between the two of them.

"You know Finn, I'm sure Dad could use a hand with the grilling," Kurt said mildly. "Why don't you go help him while Rachel and I get properly acquainted," he suggested, wanting an opportunity to talk to Rachel alone.

"You don't have anything else for me to sign, do you?" Rachel asked as she took a cautious step forward.

"No, but if you want I can take you to the tire shop and you can autograph the calendar hanging there," Kurt said jokingly, his laughter dying off as Rachel stared at him open mouthed while Finn fumed. "Kidding," he said his hands raised in surrender. "Just kidding."

"You better be," Finn warned. He caught Rachel's hand in his before she walked off, pulling her back to him and placing his lips near her ear. "You sure you're ok with this? I can stay if you want?"

"I'll be fine," she murmured, giving him a tight squeeze before releasing him to join Kurt at the picnic table.

As Finn walked off to find Burt he was puzzled, but pleased, over Rachel's change of heart. He turned back for a moment to see her throw her head back and let out a laugh at something Kurt had said. His own smile grew as he walked back to the deck where Burt was manning the grill. "Need a hand?" he asked as he climbed back up the steps.

Burt turned around and noticed Finn was alone. "I have it under control but I wouldn't say no to some company," he said gesturing to a lawn chair positioned next to the grill.

"Ok," Finn said while plopping down in the chair, beer bottle hanging from his fingertips. "So, what'd you think of the game the other night?"

"I think the team looked pretty solid," Burt replied honestly. "Offensive line was good and Puckerman's still got an arm like a freaking rocket."

"Mhmm," Finn agreed absentmindedly while Burt continued to talk. His gaze wandered back across the lawn to where Kurt and Rachel were sitting and having a good old time if their laughter was any indication. There was something about her laugh that just drew him in and he found himself wishing he was closer to her so he could be laughing with her.

Burt noticed where Finn's gaze was and decided to see if he was really listening. "Though I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when Schuester started playing Bugs Bunny as the backup QB instead of Sorgi."

"Hmm, me too," Finn said while still grinning in Rachel's direction.

Burt reached over on a sigh and slapped him on the back of the head. "Damn it Finn, I expected better from you."

"Ow, what the hell was that for?" Finn gingerly rubbed the spot where Burt's hand had connected. The wedding band on his hand had caught Finn just right and damn it hurt.

"I knew you weren't paying attention. Just like you weren't paying attention the other night when you tackled that poor girl," Burt replied as he jabbed the grill fork at Finn for emphasis.

"What are you talking about? I was paying attention," Finn retorted while feeling a blush creep up his neck.

"Yeah you were paying real good attention when I said that Bugs Bunny was the freaking backup the other night." He gave Finn a leveled stare before stabbing at a piece of chicken on the grill. "You were too busy staring at **her**, just like you were during the game. I didn't say anything to your mother because I didn't want her to get all excited since I was _sure _you wouldn't date a girl on the Flight Crew. I knew I shouldn't have thought you'd just brought her here so I could say I met her," he muttered, clearly annoyed.

"I wasn't staring," Finn stammered before catching himself. "I merely looked over to see what was so funny."

"That your excuse for looking during the game? You wanted to see what she was laughing about?"

"She wasn't laughing, she was dancing," Finn said hotly before realizing he had just fallen into Burt's trap. Fuck.

"So you _were_ looking at her," he clarified while flipping a burger. "You know, I'm really surprised the team's ok with this after the fallout from the Karofsky incident. I thought you said when you told us about your contract that you can't date them."

Having heard all about that incident from Puck, Finn cast his eyes down and begin to fiddle with his beer bottle.

Finn's silence gave Burt the information he needed and he just shook his head. "They don't know do they?"

"No," Finn replied quietly. "Nobody knows and we want it to stay that way." He looked at Rachel who seemed to feel his gaze as she lifted her face and gave him a big smile and a wave. He couldn't help but smile back.

"I can't believe you'd jeopardize your position on the team and her position like this Finn. There are tons of girls willing to be with you and you go and choose one that could get you fired," Burt said while scratching his forehead under his ballcap. "I just don't get it."

"There's only one her," Finn said while looking Burt square in the eye, failing to notice that his mom had rejoined them on the deck.

"Burt leave him alone," Carole admonished as she handed him a plate, trying not to sigh over Finn's sweet words. She smiled at Finn, ruffling his hair. "She's adorable."

"Thanks Mom," Finn replied with a quirk of his lips.

"I never said she wasn't, Carole," Burt chimed in. "She's in my top three-you know that. My point is-"

"I really like her hair like that," Cariole continued.

"It's pretty," Finn nodded before taking a sip of his beer.

"Plus no chance of getting burned by a curling iron," Carole quipped, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

Finn felt his face flush and shook his head at her. "Nope, no curling iron burns," he mumbled as he realized Kurt must have told her about Hooters.

"You owe me $20 honey," Carole cried over her shoulder, still laughing as she walked back towards the door to the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah," Burt replied with a shake of his head as he turned back to the grill.

"Why does she owe you $20?" Finn asked curiously.

"She bet me you were bringing a girl," Burt told him easily. "Piece of advice though Finn? If you're going to help Rachel _curl her hair _in the future, I'd be a little more careful to make sure she doesn't get burned," he teased.

"I got it," Finn mumbled as he stood up from the chair, intent on heading into the kitchen to find out just how much his mom knew about Kurt's encounter with Rachel at Hooters. He stopped dead in his tracks as the door swung open again, but instead of his mom walking out onto the deck he was greeted by a familiar Mohawk.

Shit.

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked as he made his way to stand in front of Puck.

"Well hello to you too Huddy," Puck said on a chuckle as he shoved the 24 pack of Bud at Finn. "I ran into your mom this morning and she mentioned the victory barbeque and invited me over." He gestured to the beer in Finn's arms. "You should probably put that in the cooler, you know I like my beer cold."

Finn stood there mirroring Puck's every step while trying to think of a way to get him the hell out of there before he saw Rachel. "You know, today's not a good day. Burt actually burned all the meat so we're stuck with just whatever side dishes my mom made, so you should probably just take your beer and go home. I don't know, maybe order a pizza."

"I didn't burn anything and you better watch what you say about your mother's sides Finn; you know she thinks we all _**love **_that pistachio salad," Burt replied with a shudder.

Puck eyed Finn with suspicion as he cautiously took a slow step to the right. Finn mimicked the movement and Puck moved again while trying to figure out what the hell Finn was doing. "You wanna dance with me, Huddy? You're not really my type."

Burt chuckled from his spot at the grill as he watched the two friends. "Hey Puck, glad you could make it," he said offering a smile. "I was just telling Finn how good the team looked the other night. Going to be another great season."

"Thanks Mr. H; I sure hope so," Puck replied as he sidled over to the grill. "Seriously Huddy, go put that beer away, I wanna talk to the Jets number one fan for a minute."

Torn between trying to keep Puck from seeing Rachel and needing to put down the beer, Finn quickly walked over to the cooler, intent on dumping the beer in and getting back to Burt and Puck ASAP. As soon as his back was turned though, Puck looked out into the yard while he talked to Burt. His voice trailed off from his talk about the offensive line though when he spotted Rachel talking animatedly with Kurt.

"Well son of a bitch," he muttered under his breath. "I _**knew **_that fucker was lying about her."

"What's that?" Burt asked, checking the meat. "What'd you say?"

"Huh? Oh, the offensive line." He focused his attention on the conversation again, not wanting Burt to realize anything was amiss. "We have that new backup QB, Jim Sorgi. He was both Manning's backup you know, but really he's more of a glorified waterboy for me," Puck boasted.

"You talking about Sorgi again?" Finn asked while bringing back a beer for each of the men. He watched as Burt piled the meat high on a platter and idly wondered if there would be leftovers for him to take home.

"Yep, just talking about how I use him more as a waterboy." Puck twisted the top off his beer while he replied. His mind was calculating how to bring up Rachel when Carole solved the problem for him.

Carole stepped back outside, arms laden with two covered bowls. "Finny, come grab these for me will you? I just have to grab the pistachio salad and then we can eat." She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Kurt! Rachel! Time to eat guys." Dashing back inside she grabbed the salad and returned outside just in time to see Kurt and Rachel climb up the steps on the deck.

Rachel stopped on the top step as her gaze fell upon Puck. Eyes wide she turned to Finn, silently trying to figure out how they were going to handle this. When Finn just gave her a sheepish smile and a shrug she squared her shoulders and said, "Hi Noah. It's nice to see you."

"Likewise Rachel," he replied with a nod of his head.

"Well don't just stand there guys-eat up!" Carole said oblivious to the tension in the trio. Grabbing a plate she handed it to Rachel. "Go ahead sweetie."

Rachel took the plate and walked down the table, grabbing a little bit of potato salad, a tiny piece of chicken and a huge helping of the pistachio salad. When she glanced up she noticed Finn making a face at her plate. "What? I happen to like pistachio salad!" she defended, her face bearing a sheepish smile.

Finn grabbed his plate next and randomly tossed food on, anxious to get Rachel alone for a second. He took her elbow and led her down the steps.

"Oh my God Finn, you didn't tell me Noah was coming!" she hissed at him as they walked back to the picnic table.

"I didn't know; I swear to you I didn't know." Finn couldn't believe that this nice relaxing barbeque was now making him feel tense. "He's my best friend though-he won't say anything I promise."

"Who won't say anything about what?" Kurt asked while sitting down at the table on the opposite side from where the couple was standing. "Is it about the pistachio salad? Just feed it to the dog, Rachel. That's what we do."

"Nothing Kurt," Finn replied as he sat down and tugged Rachel's arm so that she would sit next to him.

'Then what's it about?" Kurt demanded, as he glanced between the two of them. When neither made to say anything, he shrugged. "You know I love a good secret as much as the next person."

"It's nothing Kurt, really," Rachel said while offering him a weak smile.

The others quickly joined them at the table. Puck surveyed his seating options carefully and chose to sit by Kurt so that he could look at Finn and Rachel while Burt and Carole sat on the other side of their respective sons. Puck watched as everyone began to dig into their food, waiting until Finn had a mouthful of hamburger before casually saying, "I'm so glad you guys made it out to that last game. Did you notice how much more _relaxed_ Finn looked on the field?"

Burt looked at Finn, who'd started coughing, then at Puck before responding. "No, Finn always looks revved on the field. Like he's just raring to go."

"I'm telling you Burt, these past couple of weeks he's _really_ mellowed out," Puck insisted around a mouthful of chicken. He ignored Finn's glare from across the table and pressed on. "He didn't tell you guys he started meditation classes? Claims they help keep his mind focused or some shit."

Kurt and Carole both immediately perked up at this news. Carole laid a hand on Finn's arm as she spoke. "Oh honey that's great! I'm glad you're taking some time for yourself and if it helps you play better, well that's just a bonus!"

"What kind of meditation did you finally try and why did I have to hear about this from _Puckerman_?" Kurt demanded as he turned his attention to Rachel. "I've been telling him for _years_ to meditate, but did he listen to me? No." He grabbed Finn's arm. "Are you doing steam meditation at the health club? I _told_ you nobody else would be looking at you," he stressed before turning back to Rachel. "He used to insist that he couldn't do the steam meditation because people would be too grossed out by his chest to fully relax."

Puck snorted at the look on Finn's face. "No, Huddy here actually prefers the whirlpool for his meditation, don't you Huddy?"

Finn could literally feel the blush creep onto his face. "Um, yeah. Yeah, I've been using the whirlpool."

"He even gave Evans lessons on it," Puck continued, enjoying the look of discomfort on Finn's face and the confused look on Rachel's.

"Damn it Finn, why am I the last to know this?" Kurt commanded as he set his fork down onto his plate. "Did you use any essential oils like I told you? Burn any incense?"

Puck again interjected. "You know Kurt; I heard he used a kind of _berry_ infusion." He looked pointedly at Rachel who was currently scooping up a large bite of pistachio salad. "He wouldn't tell the exact infusion he used, but I think it's a Jewish brand."

"That sounds positively wonderful Noah, I can't believe Finny didn't mention it himself." Carole beamed at Finn before looking over at Rachel. "How is everything sweetie?"

"Oh it's all delicious! I especially love the pistachio salad," Rachel said with an answering smile.

"It's one of our favorites, isn't it guys?" Carole questioned while looking at the boy's plates. Her brow furrowed as she asked, "Wow, did you guys eat all of yours already?"

"Yep," Burt replied quickly, answering for all of them. The men all shared a look of thanks to him since none of them had actually taken any. They hated the stuff but Carole always insisted that they loved it.

Pleased at the response, Carole again turned to look at Rachel. "So have you been a member of the cheerleading team for long? What do they call you girls again?"

Rachel smiled. "We're the Flight Crew. I actually joined a couple years ago just to help out my friend Quinn-she's the captain-but the coach liked my performance so much I wound up staying."

"Is it as fun as it looks?" Carole questioned and Kurt looked at her awaiting the answer as well.

"Well sometimes it can be, but you know there are definite drawbacks to it." Rachel dabbed her mouth with a napkin before continuing. "I mean, the routines are fun and I like performing but the weekly weigh-ins are a pain."

"Weekly weigh ins? Why on Earth would you have to do that?" Burt asked, addressing her directly for the first time during the meal.

"Coach Sylvester has a reputation to uphold," Rachel replied with a delicate shrug. "Most of the time it's not so bad."

"Well that doesn't sound very fun. No wonder why you're so tiny." Carole pushed her hair back off her forehead.

Kurt cocked his head at her. "And you don't mind wearing that uniform? Who designs them?"

"The uniforms are great," Finn cut in. "And they're dry cleaned in Europe or something, so they must be designer."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Says the person who once asked if Gucci had a plaid line."

"Kurt," Carole warned before she turned to Rachel. "Your uniform looks wonderful on you. I have to say you always look like you're having fun out there-you even smile when you do that kick into the splits move." She winced. "Doesn't that hurt?"

Rachel laughed at her description. "That's the Del Monico Drop," Rachel explained. "One of the former Crew members, Terri, came up with it and Sue loved it and has insisted on using it ever since. It was the first time Sue allowed anyone to help her choreograph. Being able to do the Del Monico Drop is a requirement to being on the Crew."

"Well it looks painful," Carole said firmly. "Does she let other members of the Crew help choreograph the routines now?"

"Well Terri still comes in to help from time to time, but she's just a consultant now. Sue has let Quinn and Brittany help a bit, but that's it. I love to dance and choreograph so I'm hoping Coach Sylvester lets me help with some routines this year." Rachel replied.

"Rach puts in a lot of extra time at practices too Mom, but she always looks great when she performs," Finn added with a prideful smile as he squeezed her hand. "Sue would be crazy not to let you choreograph."

Carole noticed the squeeze, idly thinking she'd never seen him look so smitten with a girl. It made her romantic heart sigh each time she caught him looking when he thought nobody would notice.

"I'll take Huddy's word for it; he looks often enough," Puck said before taking a sip of his beer. He flipped Finn off when he felt Finn kick him under the table.

Slightly uncomfortable with where the conversation was headed, Rachel turned back to Carole. "I meant to tell you earlier Carole, those earrings are beautiful." She admired the simple duo of diamond hearts that hung from the Carole's ears. "Quinn and I were just looking at pairs like that last week only she liked a set that had sapphires."

Puck glanced over at Carole's ears out of the corner of his eye, making note of the design for the next time Quinn was mad at him or even the next holiday. He was so busy looking at them that he didn't notice Finn was doing exactly the same thing.

"Thank you sweetie. Burt gave them to me for our anniversary." She took Burt's hand and gave him a warm smile across the table.

He lifted her hand to his lips in a rare gesture of public affection. "Nothing too good for my girl."

Finn glanced over at Rachel and noticed her smiling wistfully at the couple. He looked at her plate and noted it was mostly empty. "Hey, you wanna go for a walk?"

"Maybe after I help clean up," Rachel told him with a smile as she glanced around, noticing that most of the others were finished as well.

"Oh you don't have to do that honey," Carole said with a wave of her hand. "I'll get to them in just a little bit."

"I'd like to," Rachel replied as she began to stack plates. She stood from the table, plates in hand. "Where would you like me to put these?"

"You can just set them on the counter in the kitchen," Carole told her as she too stood up, collecting both Burt's plate and her own. "Come on, I'll show you where," she said as she led Rachel back towards the house.

Finn watched them go, thrilled that they seemed to be getting along so well. The images he'd had of Rachel interacting with his family were nothing compared to how awesome it was in reality, even if her initial reaction to Kurt hadn't been quite what he'd been expecting. He was brought back out of his musings with a sharp kick from Puck under the table.

"What the hell dude?" Puck demanded, ready to toss Finn's words back at him. "I thought you said you weren't seeing her."

"We didn't want anyone to know," Finn replied automatically, his hand dropping below the table to rub at his shin.

"That why you brought her to a family barbeque?" Puck retorted before picking up his beer and taking a drink. "I told you I wouldn't tell anyone."

"He didn't even really tell Carole she was coming," Kurt piped in. "We had to try and figure out who he was bringing on our own, but thankfully Finn made that pretty easy for us."

"I still don't know how you knew," Finn muttered as he folded his arms on the table and glared at Kurt.

"Subtlety has never been your strong suit, Finn," Kurt snorted. "You were staring at her the whole game, though I'll admit it took me until you knocked her over to realize that she was the one you were staring at and not some fan."

"If you knew who she was then I don't see why you had to go and stalk her at Hooters,_ Nathan,_" Finn shot back in frustration.

"Hold up, who's Nathan?" Puck laughed, looking between the two brothers.

"It's the name Kurt gave Rachel when he went to see her at Hooters," Finn explained, his eyes still trained on Kurt.

"You went to _Hooters_, Hummel?" Puck cried, slapping him on the back. "Seriously? I think this moment calls for more than a Bud Light."

"It was in honor of Nathan Lane," Kurt snapped back, ignoring Puck. "I couldn't very well give her my real name," he told the group, exasperation evident in his tone. "I wasn't sure if you'd mentioned dad or me by name so I couldn't risk her figuring out who _I_ was before I knew for sure who _she_ was."

"What difference does it make if she knew my name?" Burt asked curiously.

"Well _I_ didn't want the picture she was signing," Kurt declared, his hands splayed over his chest as he looked at Burt.

"You got me an autograph?" Burt said, his face lighting up. "Where is it?"

Finn looked at Kurt in horror at this new turn of events. "You can't have it," he blurted out.

"Why not?" Burt asked. "I can put it in the shop-I already know where I'll put it!"

"Just no," Finn cried above Puck's howls of laughter. "Shut the fuck up dude, it's not funny!'

"That's where you're wrong Huddy-this is all kinds of hilarious. First of all, Kurt went to Hooters, which is funny in and of itself. You add in the fact that he got an autograph of your girl for Burt? Priceless," Puck crowed, watching as Finn buried his face in his hands.

"Just drop it, ok?" Finn muttered, rubbing his hands over his face. "Rachel was really embarrassed about it."

"She was embarrassed that somebody got her autograph? I knew she was uptight," Puck mused. "But I didn't think she was _that_ uptight."

"She's _not_ uptight ok?" Finn defended, turning his head as the sound of his mom and Rachel's voices drifted down the lawn as they walked back to the table. "She's perfect."

He stood up from the table as the women approached, a smile tugging his lips as he walked over to take Rachel's hand. "You all set? You wanna take that walk now?"

Puck stood, brushing his hands over his jeans. "Fuck a walk Huddy. It's football season and you need all the practice you can get. You guys wanna toss the old pigskin around?"

Kurt immediately shook his head. "No, absolutely not. I'm not risking getting grass stains on these jeans-do you have any idea how hard that will be to get out?"

"C'mon, Kurt, we need to you play this time so we have even teams. We'll play it like flag football, no tackling but if you catch the person that's it. Just think of it as playing catch, you'll be fine." Puck glanced at Burt who shrugged then looked at Finn and Rachel with raised eyebrows. "You two in?"

Finn squeezed Rachel's hand in reassurance. "Uh sure. What are the teams?"

"Well, how about you and me be the captains? I'll take Rachel," Puck quickly stated.

"_What_? No way," Finn retorted.

"It's ok, I'll do it." Her hand still in his, she gave him a smile.

"But I want you on my team," he pouted, images of celebrating touchdowns playing in his brain.

She placed her hand on his shoulder as she leaned close to his ear to whisper. "He'll just make a big deal out of it if I don't do it."

"OK fine," Finn huffed. "I'll take Burt."

Puck smiled and looked across the lawn at Carole, "And I'll take Mrs. H. As usual, Hudson, the ladies have flocked to Puckzilla and you're left with a sausage fest. Me and the ladies are going to take you down."

Used to being picked last Kurt tossed his napkin down onto his plate. "Whatever. Can we just get this over with?"

Everyone stood and walked over to the center of the yard. Not willing to risk running in her heels and twisting an ankle, Rachel slipped out of her heels, making her seem even tinier as she stood next to Finn with his hand in hers.

"Berry! Get your ass over here! You're not on Hudson's team!"

She pulled her hand from Finn's, quickly joining Carole and Puck on the other side of the yard. Satisfied that his full team was present, Puck immediately launched into a strategy session. "Ok, so here's what we're gonna do."

Rachel zoned out while listening to Puck talk about where the endzones were and the rules of their game. She was way too distracted by the way the sun hit Finn's hair and how cute he looked with just a hint of scruff on his face. She tuned back in when she heard Puck call her name.

"Rachel! You ready?" Puck asked while tossing the football in the air to himself.

She forced her gaze back on him and replied confidently, "Absolutely."

"Well come on then. Let's do it." He clasped his hands around the football, waiting for everyone to assume their position before passing it to Carole.

Carole took off on a run, laughing while Burt and Finn both tried to catch her. Kurt just stood in place looking bored as he examined his nails. Rachel smiled over at him from her own position far away from the action.

Burt tagged a squealing Carole before snatching the ball and tossing it over to Finn. "Ok, hotshot. Let's go."

Finn tossed the ball in the air to himself, easily catching it. "You're going down, Puckerman."

Puck snorted. "I'm not worried. All I have to do is tell Rachel to move and you forget your name, let alone the game."

"Funny Puckerman." His ears tinged red, Finn tossed the ball to Kurt.

Kurt caught it and stared at it like he was holding a bomb. Seeing Puck come towards him and not quite trusting that he wouldn't tackle him, Kurt threw the ball back to Finn. Rachel sprang into action and chased him in the yard, eventually catching him in a hug. He swung her in a quick circle after tossing the ball back to Puck.

"Got ya," she said lightly as she jogged back towards the middle of the yard where everyone else was.

"Yeah, I think you do," he whispered to himself as he followed her back.

Puck eyed the duo carefully. Truthfully, he'd never seen Huddy so wrapped up in a chick. Wanting to see what would happen, he waited for everyone to get back into position before tossing the ball to Rachel.

She stared at the ball in her hands then looked up at Puck with a grin before she took off running. She may be short, but she had long legs and knew how to move quick. What she had forgotten was that Finn's legs were even longer.

He let her get almost to the pretend endzone before he tackled her, rolling to the ground before her so that she wound up cradled in his arms.

The rest of the group watched the duo to see what would happen next. Kurt and Carole both waited wide eyed while Puck and Burt stared a little more curiously.

"Hey!" she cried indignantly, "I thought we weren't supposed to tackle!" Looking down at him, she narrowed her eyes and spoke again. "This is starting to be a habit-you're lucky Sue isn't here."

"I couldn't help it," Finn defended. "I missed having my arms around you."

"This time?" she questioned, her brows arched.

"All the time," he stated.

Her heart positively melted as she looked into his eyes, seeing he was saying the absolute truth. She smiled at him and placed a peck on his lips, ready to stand back up when she felt his hands in her hair.

His hand slid into the hair covering the back of her neck and he pulled her down for a deeper kiss, forgetting that there were four other pairs of eyes on them.

Rachel lost herself in the kiss. She swore time stopped as she lay there with him under the setting sun with their lips firmly attached. The sound of someone clearing their throat penetrated the haze coating her mind and she pulled back and stared into his eyes. She felt like something important had changed between them but now wasn't the time to discuss it.

Carole watched with her fingers pressed against her lips as she took in the tender expression on Finn's face before he pulled Rachel's face down to his for another gentle kiss. He looked so happy, so utterly content that Carole felt her heart sigh with the knowledge that her little boy wasn't just hers anymore.

Finn sat up with her in his lap and allowed her to stand as he laughed at her efforts to help him up. Slinging his arm around her shoulder he pressed a kiss to her hair. "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Finn, we just ate. Don't be rude," she began while placing her arm around his waist. "But we can leave after cookies and cake ok?"

They approached the group and Finn pulled her even tighter as he threw the ball back to Puck. "I'm ready for dessert."

"Oh I bet you are, maybe some strawberry shortcake?" Puck asked with a grin.

"_Noah_!" Rachel rebuked, feeling her cheeks tinge pink. "I brought cookies if anyone would like one."

"I'm ready for cake and cookies too," Burt announced with a head nod at Finn.

Finn's shoulders relaxed a bit as he recognized the subtle acknowledgment of Burt's approval and he grinned. "Well let's go."

Puck tossed the football on the ground as he followed the group into the house, hardly able to wait until he could tell Quinn this latest development.

Carole pulled out a thick chocolate cake from the refrigerator, setting it on the counter before she opened the box of cookies Rachel had brought, leaning closer to examine them. "How adorable! The little jerseys all have Finn's number!"

Finn quickly snagged a cookie from the box eating it while staring right at Rachel. "These are really good, Rach."

Burt chose a cookie and bit in. "Wow. These are fabulous Rachel." He grabbed the box off the table and held them to his chest. "The rest are mine."

Everyone laughed at his reaction as Carole cut up the cake, passing it out to all the boys. "Rachel would you like a piece?"

"No, thank you," Rachel denied with a smile. "Weekly weigh in tomorrow," she shrugged delicately.

Finn shoveled in his cake quickly, anxious to leave. "Well in that case, we're going to take off. I've got a long day of practice tomorrow and I know Rach does too."

Puck nodded in agreement. "Yeah if Mr. H isn't going to share, I guess I'll be heading home too."

He gave an exaggerated yawn before hugging Carole and clapping Burt on the back. "Thanks for the invite Mrs. H; everything was great as usual and it was nice to see you Kurt." He turned to Finn and Rachel offering them a head nod. "See you two tomorrow." Already pulling out his cell phone, he walked out of the house, quickening his steps until he reached his car. He couldn't wait to call Quinn.

"Thank you again so much for having me, Carole and Burt," Rachel said offering them each a smile. She was slightly surprised, but happy, when Carole pulled her in for a tight hug.

"It was so nice to meet you, sweetie," Carole said while pulling back. "I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon."

Burt smiled and gave her a head nod while still holding the box of cookies. "Hopefully with more cookies."

"I'll make sure to have some," Rachel promised as she watched Finn kiss his mom and hug Burt and Kurt. Finn's arm slipped around her waist as he said his final goodbyes and led Rachel out to the car.

"That wasn't so bad now was it?" he asked while backing out.

"You have a lovely family Finn. It was nice to be included," she said with a smile. "Your mom is so sweet."

"Yeah that's her, she's the best," he replied absentmindedly while driving towards his house.

"Finny? You know you missed the turn for my place right?" She smiled across the seat as she took his hand.

"No I didn't," he replied easily, enjoying the feeling of Rachel's thumb rubbing over his hand.

"Yes you did," she insisted. "It was at the light we just passed. You have to turn back."

"No I didn't," he repeated. "I want you to stay with me tonight."

"But I don't have any of my things," she protested weakly as he took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at her with a smile.

He picked up her hand and placed a soft kiss against it. "Dee?"

"Yeah Finn?" she replied softly as he kissed her hand again.

"Stay with me tonight." The words came out in a low tone as he dropped their hands into her lap.

"Ok." Her response was barely more than a whisper.

He squeezed her hand as they made their way back to his house, excited for the rest of their evening together.

* * *

He pressed the remote above his visor and had the gate to his driveway swing open so they could drive through. As he followed the curving driveway to the garage he closed the gate, effectively closing them off to the rest of the world. He parked the car and helped her get out, taking her hand and pulling her inside the house.

Her mouth dropped open as she took on his kitchen. "Wow," she breathed out taking in the spotless granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. "This kitchen is amazing."

His cheeks turned pink as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Kurt mainly handled this room. I um, don't do much cooking."

"I'll have to teach you," she said with a saucy smile while running her hand over the countertop.

"You going to wear a frilly little apron?" he asked while caving her hips with his hands and pressing her into the countertop.

"You know I always wear an apron when I cook Finn," she said giving a smile while snaking her hands around his waist.

He grinned at the image of her in a little apron and nothing else while being in his kitchen. His eyes were smiling as he kissed her softly before taking her hand. "Come on, there's more to see."

He pulled her through the house, anxious to share it with her. She laughed at his enthusiasm but went along willingly. She shook her head as they entered the game room.

"Boys and their toys, huh?" She walked over to the foosball table and spun a stick, sending the players circling.

"It helps me unwind," he replied as he walked over and stood on the opposite side. "You ever play?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "I'm not very good at stuff like this."

"I'll teach you; it'll be a trade off for you teaching me how to cook." He shot her a smile, clearly excited at the idea of teaching her.

"Well in that case, you should know I can be pretty competitive." She grinned at him as she walked away from the table.

"That's ok, baby," he said as he threw his arm over her shoulder. "I'll let you win sometimes." He laughed as he felt her elbow hit his side. "Ouch!"

"Well Finn, I just think you should know that I _always _play to win."

He turned her face towards him and looked right into her eyes. "So do I."

Again she couldn't read his expression but she thought they might be talking about entirely different things. "I guess we'll have to see about that," she said lightly. Trying to find her balance in the conversation, she looked at him coyly from under her lashes, assuming he'd take her to his bedroom. "Sooo, any other rooms you want to show me?"

"Yep," he said steering her towards yet another room. It was a cozy room with a fireplace, a couple couches and some books. Framed photos of him with his friends and family graced the fireplace. A tv was in the corner of the room but it wasn't the focal point. "This is the living room."

She knew instantly that this was a room he enjoyed using. It was a comfortable room that she instantly felt at home in. It reflected his style more than any room she'd seen thus far. She could curl up on one of the couches and be perfectly content to just relax. Wanting to see more of the pictures she stepped out from under his arm and walked to the mantle.

He watched her closely as his heart began to beat a bit faster in his chest. This was his favorite room in the house and she looked right in it.

She picked up a photo off the mantle and grinned. Turning to him she held it out. "You and Noah had some pretty fancy togas."

Finn just rolled his eyes as he walked over to explain. "It was a stupid frat party but Kurt got wind of it, insisting on creating our 'costumes'. He spent hours on them so we _**had **_to wear them."

She set the photo down with a chuckle before picking up another of him, this time in a tux with Kurt. "What about this? Prom?"

"Nope," he said with a grin. "Our parents wedding. He even gave me dance lessons since he was terrified I'd step on my mom's dress and rip it."

"Dance lessons? That's what made your touchdown dance so good?" she asked with a giggle.

He took the photo and placed it back on the mantle. "No, that was all me. The dance lessons he gave me reaffirmed what I already knew, that I suck at dancing."

She laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Poor baby."

He grinned down at her. "Well I do have moves somewhere else."

"Is that right?" she asked, playing along. "You should probably show me then."

"Already on it." He scooped her into his arms and carried her bridal style to the bedroom. She stared into his eyes, trying to read the emotions she saw there. Not sure of what she saw, she turned her face into his neck and placed a kiss there before laying her head on his shoulder. When she had wondered what it would feel like to be cradled by him she had no idea it would feel like _this_. Feeling absolutely cherished, she closed her eyes and tried to savor the moment. His gentle movements were relaxing her and she snuggled into his neck, her nose inhaling his cologne. Still cradled securely in his arms, they entered the room and she didn't move her head until she felt him lower her to the mattress. Her eyes opened slowly to stare into his.

He laid her down on the bed and looked down at her tenderly. It amazed him how _right _she looked there with her hair fanned out on his pillow. His smile bloomed as he stretched himself out next to her and pulled her close. He lazily caressed her back while his lips ghosted over her face, placing kisses everywhere but on her lips. His hand found the zipper of her dress; slowly drawing it down and he slipped his hand inside to stroke her bare skin.

She was lost in the sensations he was creating and she loved it. Sighing, she reached up and placed a hand on his cheek, directing his lips to hers. She parted her lips to allow his tongue access and moved her hand to his hair to gently stroke the ends of it before resting it on his neck. She moaned in protest when he broke the kiss and pulled his head away but sighed again as he resumed his gentle kisses down her neck.

He pressed her back into the mattress and continued to kiss and nibble on her neck. His hand stroked up her thigh stopping inches from her center. He smiled against her skin as she parted her legs for him. Drawing out the pleasure for them both he changed the course of his hand and lifted it to her shoulder to push down the strap of her dress, baring her breast to him. Ever so gently, his teeth grazed her bare breast, lightly biting the soft skin as she writhed underneath him. Giving her one last nip, he sat up and looked at her, the vision in front of him making his breath catch in his throat. "You're so beautiful."

For the first time in her life she _felt _beautiful. She lay still as his gaze roamed over her, the intensity of his expression matching the look he had given her after their kiss on the lawn. Still unsure what to make of that look, she shifted and reached her arms up to him, wanting to feel him against her again. She snaked her hands under his shirt as he lowered himself to her once more capturing her mouth in a gentle kiss. Her hands moved over his skin, loving the way it heated under her touch. Anxious to feel his bare skin against hers she tugged at his shirt.

He moved himself away long enough to pull the offending shirt off and toss it to the side, his mouth returning to hers as soon as possible, moving her hands to wrap around his neck again. His tongue had just reentered her mouth when he felt her remove her hands from his neck to slip out of her dress. His own hands stilled hers immediately. "Let me."

She stilled as he reached for the other strap, her breathing heavy. Slowly, he inched the dress off her body while his mouth followed the path of his hands, kissing along the newly exposed skin and driving her crazy.

Her hands fisted in the comforter as his mouth and hands continued to arouse her. When he reached her waist, she lifted her hips and allowed him to take off her dress and panties in one motion. Bare before him, she felt none of her earlier insecurities as his gaze swept over her so intensely it was almost like he was touching her. She reached for him again, and he lowered his hand to her neck lifting her face for his kiss.

He'd never experienced anything like this before, this feeling of wanting her around him in every possible way at all times. He felt her hands drift down his body, unbuttoning his jeans and slipping into his boxers as she continued to kiss him. When her hand closed around his erection he groaned into her mouth, unable to stop his hips from thrusting into her hand. He opened his eyes and grabbed her hand, pulling it away from his body. "Not so fast. We have all night."

"Finn," she moaned as he lifted her hands over her head, braceleting her tiny wrists in one of his hands. "Please."

"Please what?" he asked as he gently kissed her neck again.

"I need you," she whimpered as she lifted her hips to him in invitation.

"Need me to what baby?" he murmured while his lips kissed up her neck to settle a breath away from her lips.

She looked into his eyes and went with her heart. "Make love to me Finn," she whispered before closing the distance between their mouths with a soft kiss.

He was momentarily stunned by her words until he realized that's exactly what he was doing. He was making love to Rachel, and he realized as he looked at her he now knew what it meant to really love a woman. His lips curved into his familiar half smile as he considered the thought running rampant through his brain. He _loved_ Rachel. He loved her and what's more, he was _in _love with her. Thinking the admission might scare her he kept it to himself as he quickly shed his pants and boxers before reaching into the nightstand for a condom. Just before he opened it her hand closed over his and he looked down at her slightly puzzled.

"Don't," she whispered.

"But-" he started before she cut him off.

"I'm on the pill," she whispered while placing her hands on either side of his face, her thumbs stroking his cheeks lightly. "Sue requires her dancers to be on the pill to prevent unauthorized additions to the squad."

"Are you sure, baby?" he asked, his eyes staring into hers. "It's your decision."

"I've never been more sure," she replied, pulling his face to hers for a series of light pecks on his lips. She pulled away as she opened her legs and watched him settle himself between them, lightly resting his hands on her hips.

His gaze stayed steady on hers as he sank into her, uninhibited by any barriers for the first time. He watched her lips part on a moan before leaning over and capturing them with his own. His hands found hers as their bodies moved together in perfect harmony.

She closed her eyes as he kissed her, seeing stars behind them. She had never felt more connected with anyone than she did with Finn right now and knew that something inside her shifted, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. She lost herself in the moment, content to analyze later. All that mattered right now was Finn.

He brought his lips back to her neck, placing a kiss there before burying his face in it as he felt her walls begin to tighten around him. He picked up his head to look back into her eyes with a smile as she began to come undone.

"_Finn…," _she breathed, making his smile grow more. Her body began shuddering uncontrollably under him as she screamed his name a few times and he knew his name never sounded better than when it came tumbling from her lips. He thrust into her a few more times before finding his own release, letting his eyes close as he groaned her name.

Realizing he was still holding her hands he released one as he shifted to lay down next to her. He lifted the hand that was still in his and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles before releasing it to pull her head against his chest.

"Fuck," he breathed out, his hands again lazily stroking up and down her body, feeling her throw her leg over his.

"Was that a good fuck?" Rachel asked coyly, resting her arm on his chest and propping her head on it.

"That was a very good fuck," Finn replied, picking up on her double entendre. He grinned down at her. You realize all the times we've had sex, this was the first time in a bed?"

"I did," she said as she kissed his chest. "Who knew a bed could be so fun," she teased playfully, climbing on top of him, her body parallel to his.

"Fun indeed," he replied as he placed his forehead against hers. "To think we wasted all that time having sex in public or on kitchen furniture."

"There's always other furniture we could try if you were left unsatisfied with my kitchen table," she suggested with a smile, running her leg up his calf.

She giggled as he rolled them back over, squealing when he pressed his body to hers, lowering his face for a kiss. He placed a few more kisses against her lips. "Promise?"

"Promise." She kissed him again, her hands running over his back as she raised her hips slightly, rotating them against his. "But right now I think we should try the bed again."

"Yeah?" he replied against her lips. "You think so?"

"I do," she murmured between kisses. She moaned as she felt him stir against her, aching to feel him inside her again. Her hands moved to his shoulders and pushed slightly, causing him to break their kiss and look down at her in confusion.

"Baby, what-"

"Lay down," she directed, rolling back on top of him when he complied. Leaning forward, she resumed their kiss, her hair curtaining their faces as her core continued to grind against his.

Finn's hands cupped her ass, holding her snug against him as they continued to kiss. His hips moved restlessly against hers and he drew his legs up, ready to slip back inside her.

Rachel nibbled at his bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth before releasing it as she sat up. She placed her hands on his knees, nudging them back down so that his legs were once again straight. Straddling his body, she knelt up and placed her hand between them, guiding him back inside her.

"_Ooooh_," she moaned as she sank down onto him fully, pausing there for a moment before rising back up on her knees and repeating the process.

"Fuck," he groaned again, his hands streaking up her body to her breasts. He cupped them in his hands, pinching her already stiffened nipples. "So good, so _fucking_ good."

His hips thrust up into her as she placed her hands over his on her breasts, massaging with him for a minute as she slowly swiveled her hips against him. "I can make it better," she announced, stilling his hands against her breasts.

"I doubt that baby," Finn grunted as she continued to swivel against him, her slow movements torturous to him. "This feels amazing."

She smirked at him as she pried his hands away from her chest, sliding them down each side of her body and weaving their fingers together at their sides, she tugged on them as she moved over him. "Sit up," she told him, her hips swiveling over him as he complied. She leaned forward, giving him a scorching kiss before pulling back and releasing his fingers.

He watched in anticipation as she raised herself onto her knees again, prepared to thrust up into her the moment she lowered herself. To his surprise, she didn't lower herself onto him, instead leaning forward to give him another scorching kiss. He opened his eyes just in time to make them go wide as she arched back into a backbend, her head resting between his calves as her hands grabbed his ankles for support.

Finn's mouth dropped open as he watched her bend back and begin to thrust her hips against his. "Fuck, baby, fuck," he cried harshly when he felt her move against him.

"Ooh," she moaned, thrusting down against him.

He reached his hand out, trailing a line from her throat down her breasts and stomach to her sensitive nub. He circled it once and had her back arching even more, causing him to slide deeper inside her as she moaned loudly. He thrust up into her as he leaned over and he placed his lips against her breast, kissing his way to her nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

"Oh baby, yes," she moaned, her head thrashing side to side on the bed. She felt his finger flick over her again as he moved his mouth to her other breast. "God, yes."

He tugged her nipple between his teeth, feeling her walls start to flutter around him. He pinched her bundle of nerves lightly, causing her to scream his name as her orgasm ripped through her body.

"Finn! Baby!" she screamed, holding tightly onto his ankles as the orgasm hit its peak. She collapsed onto the bed as it receded, breathing heavy.

"Fuck Rachel!" he growled as his own release quickly followed. He yanked her up to sit astride his lap as he buried his face in her neck, her name falling from his lips until his orgasm subsided.

They stayed pressed chest to chest trying to recover for a minute before he lifted his head, placing his forehead against hers. "Holy shit, Dee that was-"

"Not something we could do on a table," she teased before giving him a kiss. She felt his hands stroke her back and purred in pleasure.

He kept his kiss gentle, his hand moving to cup the back of her neck as he laid back down, pulling her with him. Ending the kiss and easing off of him, she laid down next to him and snuggled back into his side, resting her head on his chest, her leg running casually up his again. His heart was beating rapidly under her cheek and she placed a kiss to his chest to help calm it. She shivered delicately as she lay in his arms, chilled but not wanting to leave his embrace.

"You cold?" he asked while rubbing her back.

"A little," she admitted as she snuggled closer, loving the warmth of his body under hers.

He pulled her onto him, sitting up to remove the blankets from under them with Rachel securely in his arms. He pulled back the covers, gently lying Rachel on the sheets before he stretched out himself. She snuggled into him immediately, throwing both her arm and leg over him. He smiled, placing the blankets over them before cuddling her close again. "Better?"

She gazed into his eyes and gave him a smile before resting her head back against his chest. "Perfect."

He couldn't have agreed more.

* * *

A/N: The Del Monico Drop is actually based on a real move…and it's not painful when performed correctly, but can certainly _look_ painful :) Thanks for the read and please feel free to review!

As always, thanks to mida212! I hope your 2.0 is happy :)


	10. Monday Funday

**Disclaimer: Glee is not mine, nor is **_**I've Got a Feeling**_** by The Black Eyed Peas.**

* * *

Finn woke slowly, feeling incredibly relaxed and rested. His arm automatically reached next to him for Rachel but instead he found nothing but cool sheets. Cracking an eye open to look for her, he rolled over to his other side, spotting her as she tried to exit the room wearing nothing but his t-shirt. He stretched beneath the sheets. "Morning baby."

"Oh, you're awake!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"Mhm," he replied, rubbing his hands over his face. "Where you going?" he asked from behind his hand.

"I thought we'd have breakfast in bed," Rachel explained as she crossed back to him. "I was just going to put something together and bring it back in here."

Finn winced, grabbing her hand and pulling her back down onto the bed. "Remember when I said I didn't really use the kitchen?"

"Yes," she nodded, scooting closer to him as he sat up.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I don't have anything in there for breakfast," he admitted, playing with her fingers.

"Oh." Rachel frowned. "That's ok, since I have to get home so I can shower and change before practice. I can make you something there."

"I have a perfectly good shower here you know," he said with a pout, pulling her onto his lap. "It'll be faster too since I can help you wash and stuff."

"Why do I doubt that?" She shifted, letting her body straddle his as he trailed a line of kisses up her arm, settling his lips at the hollow of her throat.

"Please?" he whispered before gently sucking on her neck, his hands sliding the T-shirt up her body, releasing his lips from her neck for a second so he could take the shirt off of her.

Rachel's eyes closed as she tilted her head to the side so he could have better access to her neck. She felt his tongue dart out to soothe the spot he'd just sucked and shivered. Her fingers wove through his hair, lifting his face to hers. "I don't think I'd get very clean in your shower, Finn."

"You would. Promise," he murmured, his lips finding hers.

"Hmm." Her hand snaked between their bodies and she wrapped her fingers around his already hard length, stroking softly through the sheet. "I'd probably just get dirtier."

He placed his hand over hers to stop her stroking as he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Wanna find out?"

"I don't know," she teased as she pretended to contemplate. "I have a perfectly good shower at home..."

"Did I mention that mine has a shower head imported from Sweden?" he boasted as he began to ghost kisses across her neck and slide his hands up her thighs. "It has a really nice massage feature..."

Her body was responding eagerly to his touch but she still didn't want to give in to him too easily. "You didn't mention that but my shower head is really good too, you know."

His fingers trailed along the junction of her leg and hip, dipping between her legs for just a second before resuming their travels along her outer thigh. His lips attached themselves to her shoulder, sucking softly a few times. "Mmm. That may be but mine has like nine different settings _and_ misters. Yours have that?"

"I...don't remember," she breathed out as she gave a quiet moan of disappointment when his hands traveled back down her thighs away from where she really wanted them.

"So see, you'd totally be cleaner after a shower here." He trailed a line of kisses back up to her ear. "Come on, I dare you to prove me wrong."

"I don't know," she murmured as she started to squirm, anxious to feel his touch. "Last time I was dared to do something I ended up naked in a locker room with this hot wide receiver."

His hands stilled as he eased his face back from hers. "What are you talking about? You were the one who pulled me into the bathroom in your locker room. This is the first time I've dared you to do anything baby."

Her eyes closed as she blushed. "I wasn't talking about that time."

He cupped her face, his thumbs gently caressing her cheeks. "Oh that first time? If I remember correctly, you _told_ me to kiss you."

"I said you could if you _wanted_ to," Rachel corrected, stilling his hands with her own.

"Well I wanted to. So I did," Finn replied, lowering their hands. He pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss. "Just like I wanted to now."

She gave him a small smile. "That's not what I was talking about either."

He stared at her, confusion on his face. "Yeah? You hanging out with another wide receiver?"

Her eyes widened and she placed a reassuring kiss against his lips. "Of course not! It's just... Um remember the welcoming committee?" she asked while running her hands up his chest.

"Of course I do baby," he said, clearly confused at her question.

"There's no welcoming committee," she blurted out as her gaze dropped from his. Instead she focused on his chest, seemingly fascinated by the pattern of his chest hair.

He picked her chin up with his fingers. "I kind of figured the Flight Crew doesn't clean cups. I can't picture Holly doing it."

She laughed nervously. "Nope. It's not in our job description."

"But then what were you doing in the locker room?" he asked, clearly puzzled by this new information.

"Um, well actually we had just gotten our uniforms and Holly was talking about how she wanted the number 88 since you were so hot." She bit her top lip before continuing. "She just kept talking about how hot you were and how she was wondering if _all_parts of you were hot. The girls all started talking about you and some of their comments were really crass. I told them to stop, which of course made Holly tell me I was a prude." She frowned slightly as she remembered Holly's comments.

He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. "Well you're not a prude baby. In fact, maybe I should give Holly a tour of all the places we've had sex, most of which have been in public and not a bed." He smiled before shaking his head slightly. "But I still don't see how this got you into the locker room."

She quickly averted her gaze again and licked her lips before continuing. "Well Holly kind of backed me in a corner you know? She kept saying how ironic it was that I got your number since I'm built like a kid and you're so _big..."_

"I think your height is adorable," he assured her, placing another kiss on her lips. Rachel accepted the kiss, sensing that he wasn't understanding her meaning. "You fit me perfectly."

She climbed off his lap, facing away from him as she laid down. Finn frowned, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her close to him, forcing her to turn and face him. "Baby?"

Rachel averted his gaze, closing her eyes as she blurted out the next part of the story. "She wanted to see your cup so she dared me to get it."

He felt the tips of his ears turn pink. "She what?" he asked as his mouth dropped open in shock. "Why?"

She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "Well they all wanted to see how big it was. But it doesn't matter, I took back Karosky's anyway remember?"

He relaxed as he realized she was right, kissing her nose. "Holly's a bitch. You're so much better than her." He kissed her nose again. "And much _much _sexier."

Rachel bit her lip as he buried his face in her neck. "Finn?"

"Yeah baby?" he murmured between kisses.

"Holly said..." she trailed off, distracted by his mouth.

"Holly said what?" he asked, now sucking on the soft skin by her ear. When she didn't answer, he pulled his head from her neck, immediately noticing her downcast eyes.

"Holly said you'd never be with someone like me. That you'd never fi-"

He cut her off with a kiss, trying to ease her fears. "Enough. Don't waste your time thinking about that bitch. I'm with who I _want _to be with and she can just keep wondering about my size because she's never going to see it." A thought caused him to grin. "What'd they say when they saw Karofsky's cup?"

She lifted her eyes, relieved to see him smiling. "They thought it was a little small."

He pressed a few kisses to her lips. "Baby, you have no idea how much I can't wait to see Puck again now that I know that-he'll have a field day with this."

"Finn! You can't tell Noah!" Rachel admonished. "He'd know for sure we were in the locker room together, _meditating."_

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Finn asked, running his fingers up her thighs again. "We're wasting valuable shower time talking about Karofsky's johnson."

"I still don't know..." Rachel murmured playfully. "I still think mine might be better."

"Only one way to find out," Finn decided as he peeled back the covers and got out of bed before picking her up and placing her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Finn!" she shrieked. "Put me down! What are you doing?"

He continued to the attached bathroom, one arm holding her over his shoulder, the other stroking the soft skin of her ass. He turned his head, placing a kiss on her hip. "We need to settle who has a better shower, babe."

"And how will we be doing that?" Rachel demanded from her perch on his shoulder, knowing perfectly well how they'd be settling this debate.

"Well I believe I dared you to try my shower and apparently you're not one to turn down a dare," he explained as he set her back down in the bathroom.

"You did, huh?" she asked while he turned on the water and adjusted the temperature. She barely had time to look at her surroundings before his hand was pulling on hers.

Satisfied at the temperature, he stepped inside the shower and turned back, reaching out to her and yanking her inside with him. He pulled her close to him and stepped under the spray, allowing the warm water to flow over their bodies.

"Impressed?" he asked, running his fingers lightly up and down her back.

She bit her lip before rolling her eyes. "Alright, you win. You have the better shower." She placed a kiss on his chest. "I guess we should just get out since we settled that."

"Absolutely not," he replied, holding her close.

"No?" she asked as she propped her chin on his chest, staring up at him playfully.

"We still have to get you clean." With a smirk he reached for the bottle of body wash and squeezed some into his palm, keeping his gaze on hers the entire time. "I can't have you going to practice dirty. Sue would kill me."

Her breath hitched as he stared at her, noticing his eyes darkening as he lifted his hands to her shoulders. She let out a quiet moan as he began to rub.

His hands dipped lower, lazily stroking her breasts. "Hmm, seems to me that these are really dirty," he mused as his thumbs caressed her nipples. "I better pay special attention to this area."

"Uh huh," she said with a moan as he fondled her breasts. "_Oooh_."

He smirked as he watched her eyes close, his fingers rolling her nipples. "That feel good?"

"Mmm," she half moaned. "Amazing, baby."

"Thought so." He gave her nipples a final tweak before moving onto her sides.

The loss of his hands on her breasts made her eyes snap open and she frowned, glancing down at his growing erection. "Though you're not getting very clean."

His hands stopped their fondling and he picked up the bottle of body wash. Taking her hand, he squirted some into her palm. "Be my guest," he said with a smile. "Show me how it's done."

"I will," she replied seductively as she slowly rubbed her hands together to create a lather. She started the same way he did, rising on her toes to gently massage his shoulders before trailing her hands down to his chest. His heart was hammering under her hand and she reveled in the power that her touch had over him. Eyes locked on his she went to reach for the body wash, surprised when he stopped her.

"My turn," he said as he dropped to his knees.

"You have no soap," she admonished as she tilted his head to look at her. He grinned, reaching for the bottle. Rather than pour it into his hand, he simply reached behind her and poured it directly on her ass.

"Better?" he asked, placing a kiss on her stomach as his hands reached behind her, gently soaping her ass.

"Much." Her fingers ran through his wet hair, watching as he continued placing random kisses along her stomach, his tongue darting out to lick the soft skin around her belly button.

Her eyes closed as his hands ghosted all over her legs, his lips now sucking on her hip bone. _"Finn…"_

"Yes baby?" He glanced up at her, pleased to see he'd tattooed her hipbone.

"Finn," she repeated, her voice reduced to whimpering as he ran his hands back up the inside of her legs, forcing them further apart.

His eyes stared up at her as his fingers grazed over her slick folds, smirking at the sound of her moan. Eyes still fixated on her face, he slipped a finger inside, teasing her before quickly withdrawing it. He watched as her eyes, which had closed the second his finger disappeared, shot open in frustration from the loss of him inside her.

"_Finn…" _She squirmed restlessly in front of him, her hands gripping his shoulders. _"Finn, baby, please."_

His hands cupped her ass to hold her steady as he leaned forward, biting and kissing her inner thigh. She groaned in frustration, her hands weaving into his hair to direct him towards the apex of her thighs. Not to be rushed, he ignored her pushing, continuing to suck on her inner thighs as his finger slipped back into her.

"Finn that feels_ so _good_,"_ Rachel breathed, as she felt a second finger join the first, her hands still in his hair. _"_More, baby. I want your mouth_."_

Surprised at her words, he kissed his way over to her core, quickly pulling out his fingers and replacing it immediately with his tongue and mouth. His hands returned to her ass, pulling her close to him as he pleasured her.

"Oh _God_!" Rachel cried, her head dropping back as she pulled his hair, holding him tight to her. He reached up to knead her breasts a few times while his tongue flicked over her sensitive bundle of nerves, making her crazy. _"Yes, baby! Yes! Yes!"_

He sucked on her nerves firmly, bringing his hand back to slip his fingers inside her again and she cried out, her orgasm beginning to course through her and her hands firmly holding his head in place._"Oooh, _baby, don't stop! I'm there_!"_

Finn, who had no intention of stopping, simply picked up speed, bringing her closer to the edge.

"_Oooh yes! Finn! Baby yes!"_ Rachel screamed, the full force of the orgasm hitting her. She held his head to her core and he continued to work his fingers inside her as he sucked, adding more pleasure to her already powerful orgasm.

He held her close, letting her come down from her orgasm, before he stood and pulled her under the spray to rinse away the suds. Finn pulled her out from underneath the spray, placing a kiss on her shoulder as his erection poked her from behind. "See baby?" he murmured into her ear. "You can get _**super**_ clean in my shower."

"I see that," Rachel commented as she turned around to face him. He pulled her close, his lips making their way across her collarbone to her other shoulder. "But I think _you're_ still a little dirty."

"Mmm. You better do something about that," he murmured, biting her shoulder.

Smiling coyly, she stepped back from him and reached for the body wash, squeezing some into her hand before sinking to her knees in front of him. Her tongue darted out to trace the junction of his leg and torso as her hands soaped up his lower legs. Pulling her head back to stare up at him, she ran her hands over his hipbones and down his thighs, soaping him up while ignoring his rock hard erection.

"Rach," he groaned out as she dragged her nails down his thighs.

"Yes baby?" she asked, peeking up at him through her lashes. Keeping her eyes steady on his, she reached out and circled his length with her hand, stroking him slowly before leaning in to place a kiss to the tip of his erection. Her tongue poked out from between her lips, collecting the moisture already gathered at his tip before she licked her way down his girth and paid some attention to his testicles with her mouth.

"_Holy shit!"_ he cried as she sucked first one then the other. _"Fuck!"_

She pulled back, smiling up at him as she licked him once before she took his erection into her mouth. His hand flew to her hair, fisting it into his hand as he pushed himself deeper into her mouth.

"_Fuck!"_ he moaned again as she moved her mouth over him several times, her nails digging into his ass. Wanting release, but wanting to be inside her for it, he tugged her hair and stepped back. "Enough of that baby. You know where I want to be."

She squealed as he lifted her up and pressed her back against the stone wall of the shower, her hands holding onto his shoulders as her legs wrapped around him. Her eyes locked on his as he slipped inside her, filling her completely and pushing her body higher up on the wall.

He stilled for a moment letting the feeling of being connected wash over them. Unable to stop himself he crashed his lips against hers. "God baby you feel so fucking good."

Rachel kissed him hard, whimpering through the kiss. "Finn _please_," she moaned, pressing on his shoulders to lift herself off him slightly before crashing back down onto him. The movement soothed the aching in her body slightly and she whimpered in relief._ "Oooh."_

Not wanting to prolong the sweet torture, he dropped his head to her shoulder, nipping lightly as he began to move. He felt her nails dig into his shoulders and hissed at the contact. _"Fuck, Rach."_

_"Finn!"_ she moaned as he moved, her body on fire as the misters continued to spray around them, the cooling water creating a welcome contrast to their overheated bodies. He continued to slowly push into her and while she normally appreciated the fact that he was gentle, something inside her awakened and she suddenly found herself needing more than his gentle touch. _"Oooh, _baby, faster_," _she breathed. _"Faster."_

He complied, thrusting into her at a faster but still gentle clip. Rachel's hands left his shoulders to fondle her breasts, hoping to relieve some of the tension in her body as she stared at him, soft moans escaping her mouth. A wave of sassiness washed over her as she pushed her breasts together, her hands roughly kneading them while she stared at him coyly. "Like what you see?"

Once again surprised by her words, he stared wide eyed as she pinched her nipples, a wanton moan escaping her mouth and he paused his movements. "So fucking much."

"Prove it." She stared at him, her hands still fondling her breasts. "Show me how much."

Still buried inside her, he pressed her against the wall for stability, his hands coming up to cup her breasts. His eyes jumped to her face when her own hand shot off her breasts to slap his hands away.

"Not with _those_. With…" She pulled his face to hers, her tongue coming out to trace his lips.

Amazed by her own boldness, she pushed his head towards her breasts, thrilled when she felt him take her nipple between his teeth and tug, while simultaneously thrusting up into her. The double sensation overwhelmed her for a moment and she closed her eyes, letting the pleasing sensation take over. _"Oooh! God, yes! Finn, again!"_

"Babe, your breasts are fucking amazing," he murmured as he kissed his way to her other breast. She moaned loudly when he repeated his actions on her other breast.

She pulled his head off her breast, her hands gripping his face as she pulled him to her for a scorching kiss while grinding her hips down against his thrusts, the aching between her legs becoming more pronounced. Rachel turned her head to the side, giving Finn access to her throat as she continued to move her hips against his. Still feeling bold and needing more to get the orgasm she desperately wanted, she rocked her hips roughly against his. _"_Harder, baby_!"_ she moaned. _"Harder!"_

Shocked at her words but not stupid enough to question what had gotten into her, he immediately moved more forcefully, thrusting into her roughly several times as requested, her back rubbing against the stone and her hips moving against his as she cried out with each push he made.

"_Oh God, again,"_ she whined; grinding her hips against his restlessly when he paused to kiss her neck. She dug her nails into his shoulder as she ground against him faster, still needing more from him to get that elusive orgasm. _"Finn, harder!"_

"_Fuck baby!"_ he grunted as he pushed into her. He shifted her against the wall to change the angle slightly before he thrust back into her, ignoring the pain of her nails digging into his shoulders.

"_More, _Finn_,"_ she whined, thrashing against the stone, her hands once again working her breasts. Still feeling bold, she added another directive. "I want you deeper, baby_."_

Whoa. He stilled at her words, momentarily stunned before she prompted him with a frantic swivel of her hips against him. He pressed her roughly against the wall, shoving himself into her as deep as he could while placing kisses all over her chest.

"_Yes! Oh, yes, baby, yes!"_ she screamed. _"Again, babe. Do it again!"_

"_Fuck!"_ he growled as he did it again. Her wanting it rougher had the added benefit of making him see stars behind his eyes each time he slammed himself into her. He moved his lips to her neck, sucking hard in an effort to brand her as he pushed into her just as forcibly as before.

Using the screams coming from Rachel's mouth as a sign she wouldn't object if he took it a step further, he turned her around in his arms, her stomach and breasts now plastered against the wall. He rewrapped her legs around him, waiting until she'd arched her back and reached behind her to wrap an arm around his neck while the other rested on his forearm. Amazed by her flexibility yet again, he slammed his body against hers, pressing her against the stone.

Her screams of joy echoed around the bathroom as he thrust roughly into her from behind twice more. _"Oh God yes! Finn baby, yes!"_

Missing her breasts in his view, he repositioned her so that she was facing him again. He paused to stare at her, taking in the way her hair was plastered to her head, her breasts heaving with each breath. Inspired by her recent bout of boldness, he leaned forward and sucked her breasts, forcibly biting each nipple, earning a moan from Rachel and the directive to do it again. He happily complied before picking his head up to stare at her. "Fuck baby, you're so damn _sexy_."

Her eyes flew open when she felt the loss of his mouth. She pulled his face to hers, kissing him forcefully. "Babe, don't stop," she whined. "I'm _so_ close."

"Me too, baby. Me too," he grunted, kissing the soft skin of her breast a few times. He picked his head up to stare at her, wondering how she'd answer his next question given the fact that she'd been shocking the hell out of him since entering the shower. "Any more requests?"

"Hard and deep," she demanded, writhing against the stone. "_Go_, baby. I'm so so close."

He grinned, pulling almost entirely out of her before slammed himself as hard as he dared back in, her euphoric scream filling the steamy bathroom.

"_Oh God Finn! There!"_ she cried in ecstasy as he repeated his action, entering her rough and deep._"There, baby! There! Yes!"_

Each rough thrust saw her screams increase in volume, her body writhing against the stone as her orgasm neared. Holding her in place for a moment, he buried his head in her neck as he slid a hand between their bodies, his thumb rubbing her in the way he knew drove her crazy. "C'mon baby, let go."

"_Oh! Baby! Oh God!"_ Still pressed against the stone wall, she screamed out his name several times as she tightened around him, holding his shoulders for support. The orgasm washed over her, strong and powerful as she slumped against the wall, her nails leaving a trail of red marks down his chest as her hands left his shoulders.

"_Holy Fuck, Rach!"_ Feeling her release, he succumbed to his own with another rough thrust, moaning out her name repeatedly as he shot hotly into her. He shuddered against her, keeping himself buried deep inside her as he rested his head on her shoulder. "Fuck, Rachel," he murmured against her shoulder, biting it lightly. "That was fucking _hot_."

"Mmm_,_" she responded, her chest still heaving.

"So you like your shower sex rough. I approve," he murmured into her neck. He kissed up her neck, placing a kiss on her lips. "I gotta say, you telling me what you wanted made it even hotter."

She giggled, burying her face in his neck, still in shock at her actions.

He opened his eyes and smiled at her as he slowly pulled out and set her back on the floor. "Can I take that cute giggle to mean you agree it was hot?"

"Absolutely." She leaned forward to kiss his chest, her hand snaking around his waist to squeeze his ass. She shivered as the water hit her again, considerably colder against her overheated skin. "I can't say the same for the water though."

"See how clean you can get in my shower?" he teased as he ran his hands over her back before settling them on her hips so he could lean forward to kiss her neck a few times.

"I see that," Rachel commented as she felt his lips make their way across her collarbone to her other shoulder. "It looks like you've got lots of features in here than you didn't even show me."

He bit her shoulder, his tongue soothing the bite before he lifted his head to place a kiss against her lips. "I do. Looks like you'll just have to make a return visit to my shower so we can play."

She giggled as he turned her around, pulling her back against his chest. "Of course this means I'm going to practice smelling like your body wash."

He sucked on her skin for a moment before replying. "Is that so bad? It'll be like I'm with you."

She shifted, giving him easier access to her neck. "Mmm, I like that idea."

"Hopefully Holly smells it," he murmured against her skin, his hands cupping her.

"She'd be furious," Rachel replied as she pulled his hands from her chest and turned in his arms, wrapping her own arms around his waist. "She'd never believe it."

"Well she should," he announced, giving her hips a squeeze and walking her backwards to the stone bench in the shower. He sat her on it before he reached for the shampoo, lathering under her watchful gaze. "Like what you see?" he teased, echoing her earlier words. "You know there's another shower head, so you could wash up too, if you want."

"I think I'll watch." She smiled at him as she watched him step under the shower and rinse his hair out. "I guess you don't have practice today?"

"That's where you'd be wrong," he teased, busy pouring some body wash on a wash cloth. He placed the bottle on the shelf before he ran the cloth over his chest. "Will's scheduled position meetings to go over videotape before we go down to Miami."

"Oh, right. That's the game this weekend." She bit her lip, watching him run the cloth over his body and sorely tempted to help. "You guys ready?"

"Are you kidding? It's Miami, they suck. Of course we're ready," he boasted. He walked over to the bench, handing her the wash cloth with a kiss. "Your turn, babe."

She stood up with a frown. "I don't have my shampoo."

"So?" he asked as he sat down to watch. "Use mine. Kurt picked it out."

"Your body wash _and_ shampoo? I'm really going to smell like you," she teased, examining the bottle before opening to smell. Satisfied, she poured some out in her hand, lathering her hair as Finn stared.

"I'll give you my cologne, really complete the effect," he quipped, watching her intently.

"So when are you leaving for Miami?" She stared at him as she massaged her scalp, working the shampoo into her hair.

"Well the team is leaving Wednesday afternoon, but Puck, Sam and I are leaving really early tomorrow morning for the charity golf tournament," he replied, resisting the urge to help her wash again. "Game's Thursday night, you gonna watch?"

"Of course." Her hair lathered, she turned around to examine the shower's control panel, giving Finn an excellent view of her ass. She peeked over her shoulder at him. "What's this button do?"

He shrugged. "I told you, I have no idea. Kurt picked all this stuff out. Press it and see."

She pressed it tentatively, squealing when the water changed from a traditional stream to fat rain droplets. "Oh! It's raining!"

He laughed at her excitement, watching as she changed it again from the rain drops to a firmer stream of water. "You really want the water that feels like it's cutting your skin?"

"Mmmhmm." She stepped under, happily rinsing out her hair.

"So I guess sex isn't the only thing you like rough in the shower," he teased, watching the water stream down her body.

She ignored his dig, resetting the water to the rain drops. "I like the firm setting for my hair, if you must know. Oh! You have a loofah!"

"Uh, I guess so," he replied, watching her pluck the thing he'd thought was another one of Kurt's weird decorations off the wall and loading it with body wash. "Again, that would be Kurt."

"So I guess you'll want to pack and relax tonight then, huh?" Rachel asked, running the loofah over her arms.

"Actually, I have plans," he replied, watching her run the loofah over her chest.

"Oh." Her face fell and she looked down, concentrating on soaping herself. "What are you doing?"

"Whatever you're doing," he replied honestly, smiling as her head snapped up. "Wanna have dinner? I can come over after I pack."

She smiled, hanging the loofah back up. "Sounds like a plan."

"Can't wait, baby." He stood up and walked over to her, dropping a kiss to her lips before reaching behind her and turning off the shower. "Let's get you out of here. You're all wrinkly."

Rachel shivered feeling considerably cooler since the water and misters were turned off. Her eyes fell on his tight firm ass, watching as Finn stepped out of the shower, barely resisting the urge to grab him and pull him back into the shower for more water play. Instead, she reluctantly followed him out, stepping onto the bath mat as he reached for a towel from the rack on the wall, her mouth going dry as he absently patted his chest and rubbed the towel over his back, his body shaking from the motion. He wrapped the towel loosely around his hips before reaching for another towel.

Towel in hand Finn turned, ready to offer it to her as she stood dripping on the bath mat. His eyes passed over her body, following a stray bead of water as the towel dropped to his side.

Rachel placed a hand on her hip, her eyebrows raised as she smiled. "That for me?" she asked, gesturing to the towel.

Finn cocked his head at her and smirked. "Mmm, I don't know," he said playfully as he stepped forward. "I kinda like you naked and wet."

"Finn. My towel please." She held out her hand expectantly, her hand still on her hip.

"I don't know," he mused. "You covering up is a lose lose for me."

"Baby, I'm cold," she pleaded, shivering for emphasis.

"After that _hot_ shower? Impossible," he teased, still holding her towel hostage.

"Finn, I'll get sick and then have to miss practice and then Sue will make me carry the flag Opening Day and I'll die of embarrassment," Rachel begged dramatically. "You really want that on your conscience?"

"I highly doubt that will happen." He smiled coyly as he took a step towards her.

"Fine." She stepped off the bath mat and reached out, yanking the towel he'd wrapped around himself off his waist. Triumphantly, she held it to her body, her eyes roaming from his shocked face down to his exposed groin.

"Hey!" he growled playfully, his eyes dilating as he watched her dry herself in a way he _knew_ she was doing on purpose to torment him.

"What?" she asked innocently as she slowly dried her breasts. "I told you I needed a towel."

"So you take mine?" he teased, stepping closer to watch her dry her breasts. "Mine was all wet."

She turned around so he couldn't see, glancing at him over her shoulder. "It's still a towel."

He grinned, holding an end of the towel he'd intended for Rachel in both hands to use as a lasso and pull her to him.

"Finn!" she squealed, dropping her wet towel in surprise as he pulled her flush against his chest. She turned around to face him accusingly, stepping back as far as he could with the towel lasso still around her. "That was not appreciated."

"I appreciated it, especially the view," he replied honestly before bending down to kiss her while tugging the towel to draw her closer to him.

Rachel sank into the kiss, her arms automatically wrapping around his neck so that her fingers could tangle in his hair. She pulled his hair lightly as she bit his lower lip gently, smiling as he groaned. Her tongue swept over the spot she'd bitten before slipping inside his mouth for a moment, dancing along his. Sighing, she withdrew her tongue and placed a soft peck against his lips, her hands letting go of his hair and sliding down to cover his hands which were still holding the edge of the towel. Pushing his fingers off one by one, she wrapped the towel around herself and stepped out of his embrace, smiling as she heard his groan of disappointment.

"I like you naked and wet too," she smirked, her eyes trained on his still damp chest as she reached down and traced a finger along his semi flaccid length.

He grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips for a moment before he bent down and rewrapped the towel Rachel had stolen around his waist.

Noticing a mark on his shoulder, she stepped forward and traced her finger over it lightly. "Ooo, baby, you're all marked up."

Finn looked over at her hand on his shoulder, seeing the indentations her nails had left for the first time. He shrugged. "Souvenirs of some hot sex."

"Still. I hope you're not playing shirt versus skins today," she said worriedly, biting her lip as she noticed more marks. "I don't want Noah to comment and get you in trouble."

His brow quirked as he grinned saucily. "Not playing shirts and skins with the team, but you and I can later."

"Mmm. I call shirts." She ran a finger just above his towel before she turned and walked towards the double sink, looking at herself in the mirror. Spotting a comb on the counter, she began to run it through her wet hair, humming absently.

"Oh I don't think so, babe." He stood behind her, wrapping his hands around her chest to place a big kiss against her temple, watching her for a moment before walking over to stand next to her at the other sink so he could start his own morning routine.

His eyes watching her in the mirror, he made quick work of brushing his teeth, offering her the toothbrush after he'd finished. When she took it but set it down on the counter to continue combing her hair, he ran his fingers through his own hair to style it before stepping away from the mirror, heading towards the bedroom to dress, unable to resist a kiss to her shoulder as he passed.

Dropping the towel on the floor, he headed over to his bureau, pulling a fresh pair of boxers out and slipping them on.

"Finn?"

"Yeah babe?" he called back as he opened a dresser drawer for a t-shirt.

"Do you have a blow dryer?" she asked, her voice coming closer as she entered the bedroom. Spotting her purse on the floor she picked it up, holding it as she awaited his answer.

He closed the dresser drawer, dropping the shirt onto the bed as he walked back into the bathroom. "Um, well I don't use it, but I'm pretty sure Kurt put one in here," he muttered as he began to open drawers under the double sink. "Here we go," he announced proudly as he pulled out a hair dryer, still in the original box.

Rachel smiled and set her purse down before taking the box from him. "Thanks," she replied. "Or maybe I should thank Kurt when I see him for keeping your bathroom so well stocked."

"Hey I found it for you," he quipped with a pinch to her ass.

She laughed and swatted his hand. "Yes you did," she conceded as she took the hair dryer out of the box. "So thank you."

"Welcome," he replied, puckering his lips for a kiss.

Rising on her toes, she smacked her lips against his. He pulled her close, bunching up the towel she was still wearing so he could squeeze the bare skin of her ass. "Finn, no," she mumbled against his lips.

"Mmm. I say yes." He kissed her lips a few more times, his hands kneading her ass.

"Later," she insisted, before settling back down on her feet and opening her towel to readjust it on her body. "Now go so I can finish getting ready-you still have to take me home to change."

"I know, I know," he sighed as he walked out of the bathroom.

Blow drying her hair quickly, she fluffed her bangs the best she could before brushing the rest back over her shoulders to spill down her back. She reached into her purse and pulled out her mini makeup bag and quickly applied her makeup. She tucked the blow dryer (without the box) back into the drawer and stepped away from the countertop, smiling at her reflection one last time before going back to the bedroom to dress.

Finn lay on the bed, already dressed and lazily flipping through channels on the TV when she reentered the room. His attention snapped to her, following her as she headed over to her neatly folded dress. He sat up in anticipation, watching hungrily as the towel pooled at her feet and he groaned, his eyes taking in the perfect ass staring at him.

She smiled coyly at him over her shoulder and picked up her dress, turning around to face him as she stepped into her dress. "I can't believe I'm doing the walk of shame."

He smirked as she walked over to him. "It's pretty hot, babe."

She stopped next to him, turning around to show the open back of her dress. "Zip."

He sat up, pulling the zipper up and kissing her shoulder repeatedly as he did so. "Zipped."

She turned back around, climbing onto his lap to straddle him, pulling his face to hers for a kiss. "Thank you baby."

"No problem. That's what I'm..." He trailed off as his eyes fell on the exposed skin above her dress. "Whoa baby, your chest."

"What about it?" She looked down in confusion, gasping when she saw the scratches littering her chest. "Oh my God!"

"Looks like I'm not the only one going to practice marked up," Finn commented. "You might as well just wear a sign that says _'I got a thorough fucking this morning_' on it."

"It's not funny!" Rachel wailed, still looking at her chest.

"How are your boobs?" Finn asked curiously, yanking down the front of her dress without preamble. "_Whoa_! Your boobs are all scratched up too."

"Finn!" Rachel screeched as he brushed a finger over her breast. "I'm going to have to go to practice looking like a scratching post for cats because of your stone shower! This is all your fault!"

"Hey, you were the one who wanted it rough," Finn pointed out smugly. "I was just following orders."

She glared at him as she pulled her dress back up. "I don't even have any coverup with me. I don't suppose Kurt stocked your bathroom with that too?"

"I doubt it," he replied as she climbed off his lap, wisely not telling her her back was all scratched up too. "Why don't you just buy some and keep it here?"

"Really?" she asked, turning around to look at him.

He grinned at the surprised look on her face. "Sure. Since I fully intend to have you in my bed a lot and plan on marking you even more, it would probably be a good idea."

"Hmm." Rachel looked thoughtful for a second. "Come to think of it, I do have some coverup here."

"You do?" Finn asked, watching as Rachel moved to the chair her dress had been on.

"I do." She held up her her pink lacy panties that had been on the chair. "Panties are a type of coverup."

He grinned one eyebrow quirked. "They are?"

"Oh yes." She twirled the panties around her finger as she stared at him.

"I _know_ Kurt didn't stock my bathroom with those," he replied, watching as she stepped over to his hamper and opened it. "I guess that means you should leave them here."

"I guess so." Eyes fixed on him, she held the panties over the hamper, slowly opening her fingers to let the panties drop into the hamper.

"That means you have to go commando home," he commented, hoping she didn't carry a spare pair in her purse. "Which is totally hot by the way."

She shrugged. "I'll be going commando all day in my short shorts so I might as well start now."

Finn bounded off the bed and over to her, sweeping her against him. "Shouldn't have told me that baby. Now I'll be even more distracted when I see you dance."

She smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I promise I'll go commando for you later."

"I wish we didn't have practice," he murmured against her lips.

"But we do," she reminded him as she pulled away from him. Realizing they'd never formalized any plans for the night she casually linked her hand with his. "What time are you coming over? I have practice till 5 and then a weigh in."

"I'm done at 3 probably. I'll pack while I wait for you," he decided, squeezing her hand. He released it to walk back to the bed, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV. "I can pick up dinner on the way if you want."

Rachel shook her head. "Or we can start your cooking lessons," she countered as she stepped closer to him.

"Are there rules involved?" he asked as he took her hand and led her from the room.

"Oh absolutely," she told him seriously, already wondering if she had an apron he would be able to wear.

"Then it's a deal," he replied, imagining her cooking naked as he moved her through the house and to the garage, tucking her into the car before climbing in himself.

She sat quietly as he drove through his gates and out onto the road. "Finn?"

"Yeah babe?" he replied while merging into traffic, his fingers tapping along the steering wheel to the music playing quietly from the radio.

"I had a really good time this weekend." She smiled, her smile growing wider when he grinned over at her.

"Me too." He reached over to rub his hand over hers. He laced his fingers through hers and rested them on the console as he drove. "I wish I didn't have that golf tournament this week."

"Why? It's a charity event right? For a friend?"

"It is," he agreed as he turned onto her street. "But I'd rather be here with you."

"We still have tonight. You can leave from here," Rachel suggested as they pulled up in front of her building. "I'll even let you use my shower," she offered teasingly.

"Yeah? I thought we already agreed mine was better?" he reminded her with a grin.

"Oh I just thought you could at least _try_ mine," she smirked. "But if you don't want to-"

"I do," he assured her, grinning at the thought of more shower sex. Already wishing practice was over and he could just go inside with her now, he ran his hand down her arm. "Sure we couldn't just go check now?"

She shook her head no even as she smiled. "No, now I need to go do my walk of shame and get to practice."

"Walk of shame huh?" Finn said with a chuckle.

"Well I am wearing the same clothes as when I left my apartment _yesterday_ Finn," she reminded him with a smile.

"Not all of them." He set his his hand on her thigh, inching it upwards.

"You did say I could leave a cover up," she reminded him as she watched his hand creep higher on her thigh.

"Mhm," he replied, moving his right hand across the console to unbuckle her seatbelt. When it released, he moved his hand to her hip, pulling her into the console and laying his lips over hers.

Rachel shimmied her arm out of the shoulder harness so she could wrap her arms around him, trying to draw him closer.

She nipped his bottom lip with her teeth, coaxing his lips apart so she could slip her tongue inside. Whimpering, she moved her legs so that she was kneeling on the seat, her dress falling over the hand he'd placed on her leg.

Finn teased his hand along her thigh as their tongues danced before reaching behind her and cupping her bare ass, her moan echoing in the confines of the car. He moved his lips from hers, his right hand tangling in her hair to yank her head back, exposing the column of her throat to him.

"Finn," she breathed out, arching to give him easier access to her skin, her hands holding his head to her.

His teeth scraped over her pulse point, smiling against her skin as she moaned again. He ran his tongue over where he'd bitten, soothing the newly red area before pressing a trail of kisses to her ear, his tone husky as he spoke. "Yes baby?" He let go of her hair, setting his hands back on her hips, intent on lifting her over the console into his lap.

She felt his hands squeeze and placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing slightly as she pulled back. One look at his face, his eyes dark with desire had her leaning back forward into him, her lips attaching to his. "Come upstairs," she murmured against his lips.

He pressed his lips to hers firmly before sitting back and putting his hand on the door handle. He opened the door and stepped from the car, walking to her side to close her door behind her since she exited the car when he did.

She wrapped her arm around his waist, smiling to herself as his arm circled her shoulders. Tightening her grip on him, she led him quickly to the entrance of her building, anxious to get inside.

He bent his head towards her, his voice barely above a whisper as he opened the door to the building. "You just didn't want to do the walk of shame alone, did you?"

"Well technically you don't have anything to be ashamed of," she smirked. "You're wearing different clothes after all," she teased, leading him to the elevator and pressing the up button. The doors opened and she tugged him inside, pressing the button for her floor before turning into his arms, ready to continue where they'd left off in the car.

As the elevator doors began to close, she rose up on her toes to kiss him but stopped herself as she heard the doors close on an object in the lobby, forcing them open again. Sinking back to the flats of her feet, she turned around to see what the problem was and noticed a man pull his briefcase back from between the doors and step inside. "Morning Mr. Foster," she sighed before settling back against Finn.

"Good morning," the man returned briskly while he pulled out his blackberry. Ignoring the couple in the elevator with him, he began to check his schedule.

From her position in front of Finn, she could feel his arousal against her behind. Noticing that Mr. Foster was still looking at his phone, she rose up on her toes again before lowering herself slowly, rubbing her ass against his erection in the process. She repeated her movement, swiveling her hips as she rose, smirking when she felt Finn's hands move to her hips, urging her back down and holding her flush against him. The elevator dinged, signaling her floor and she stepped forward, Finn still close behind. "Have a good day Mr. Foster," she chirped slyly as they exited, the doors closing on his response.

"I can't believe you did that." He looked around the hall to make sure it was empty before turning her and pressing her back against the wall. His lips covered hers, his tongue forcing his way inside her mouth as she moaned.

She returned his kiss eagerly, her hand slipping between their bodies to stroke his erection through his shorts. Feeling him shudder at her touch, she smiled against his lips and moved her hand more firmly against him.

Finn lifted his head slightly, looking into her eyes. "Inside. Now."

Rachel nodded, her hands shaking with anticipation as she pulled out the keys to her apartment. Practically sprinting the short distance to her door, she fumbled with the key once before sliding it home and unlocking the door, pushing it open and stepping inside, Finn following close behind.

He kicked the door closed with his foot and grabbed her hips, yanking her to her toes as he bent his head to capture her lips. Still not as close as he wanted, he tried to lift her, breaking their kiss to look at her when she pushed against his shoulders in resistance. "Baby," he groaned, bending his knees to press his erection against her. "I want you."

"You want me?" she asked coyly before turning around and flipping up the skirt of her dress as she bent forward, her bare ass wiggling invitingly at him. "Then take me."

Watching as she wrapped her hands around her calves and marveling at her flexibility yet again, Finn pushed his shorts down as he stepped closer, placing his hands against the sides of her breasts before sliding them down to rest his left hand on her hip, his right moving to clasp his rock hard arousal. He dragged the sensitive head along her already wet folds, his hand digging into her hip as she tried to thrust back against him.

"Finn," she moaned, moving her hands off her calves and placing them on his calves, drawing him closer to her body. "Hurry baby, please."

At that he thrust into her, their moans mingling together as he filled her. Placing both hands on her hips he began to move, his hips slapping noisily against her behind.

"_Fuck_," he moaned as he looked down, the sight of her perfect ass before him almost too much for him to take. "Baby, you look so fucking good. And you feel fucking _amazing_."

"Right there," she panted, her nails digging into his calves as she thrust back against him. "There baby, there! Oh _God_!"

Finn grunted as his hips continued to slap against her firm ass, bending over her slightly to increase the angle as his hands roamed higher to cup her breasts over her dress. "You like that?"

"_Yes_!" she cried, gripping his legs as she swiveled her hips against his thrusts. "Feels _so_ good, baby. So so good!"

"Shit baby!" he growled as he thrust faster, his hands roughly kneading her breasts.

"Oh God! _Finn_!" she screamed, feeling her orgasm approaching. "_Baby! Oh! Yes_!"

Recognizing the feeling of her walls beginning to flutter around him, he reached a hand down her front, rubbing her sensitive bundle of nerves before pinching it lightly. Encouraged by her screaming of his name he repeated the motion.

"Come on baby," he told her, continuing to thrust into her as his fingers played over her. "Come for me now."

"_Finn! Oh God_! _Finn_!" she cried, her hands squeezing his calves as her orgasm rippled through her body. "_Oh_!"

Finn pumped his hips into her twice, before he found his own release, spilling inside her as he moaned her name. "Holy shit _Rachel_!"

He moved forward slightly and rotated his hips, holding her tightly to him as he came down from his orgasm. His arms wrapped around Rachel's torso and he pressed his lips to her back as the orgasm continued to pulse and wane through him.

Feeling sated from their quick romp, Rachel let go of Finn's legs and stood back up, her skirt falling as Finn slipped out from inside her. She turned and rested her head against his chest for a moment before she reached down and tucked him back into his shorts, pulling them up as she finished. She raised her head off his chest and looked up into his dazed face and smirked. "Now it's time for your walk of shame," she teased, her breath still heavy.

He looked down at her, his lips quirking. "You kicking me out?"

Her eyes sparkled with laughter as she nodded. "I'll let you come back later and compare showers," she promised. "But I'm so going to be late."

"If you're already going to be late, we should just test your shower now," he improvised, taking a step towards her hall.

"Later, babe." Rachel sidestepped, blocking his path as she laughed. "That quickie should tide you over until we can."

Finn pouted down at her. "Seriously?" he asked with an exaggerated sigh.

"Seriously," she repeated. "I really have to change so I can go, Finn."

He rolled his eyes dramatically before leaning down to kiss her, laughing as she ducked out of reach. "I get the hint, but at least give me a kiss goodbye."

She rose on her toes and pecked her lips against his. "There."

"You call that a goodbye kiss?" Far from satisfied, he tugged her back into his arms bending to give her a scorching kiss. As he felt her melt into his arms, he pulled back, smirking at the dazed look on her face as he reached behind him for the doorknob. "_That's_ a goodbye kiss."

Rachel nodded, pressing a hand to her lips. "I'll text you after practice?"

"Sounds good baby," he told her as he pulled open the door and stepped through.

She moved to the doorway, watching as he headed for the stairs before closing the door and rushing to her bedroom to change.

Finn made his way down the stairs, feeling incredibly loose as he walked through the lobby and towards the door. He pulled the door open, smiling absently at the woman walking through it before beginning to step through himself.

"Excuse me," the woman called out, causing him to turn and look at her. "I'm sorry, but are you Finn Hudson?"

"Yep," he replied.

"I thought that was you yesterday," the woman prattled on. "I told my husband I saw you and he didn't believe me. Can I get your autograph?" she asked while digging through her purse.

"Uh, sure," he told her, accepting the piece of junk mail and pen she offered. "Who should I make it out to?"

"Mark," she smiled. "Make it out to Mark."

Finn signed his name and passed the items back to the woman. "Sorry, but I've got to run," he apologized before turning and walking to his car. He got in and looked up towards Rachel's apartment, grinning as he thought of what they'd just done.

He couldn't wait to come back later.

* * *

After having raced through her apartment to get ready after Finn left, Rachel flew down the hallway towards the locker room knowing she was already later than she wanted to be for practice. Unable to stop smiling about _why_ she was running behind she pushed open the door to the locker room and stepped inside, the smile falling from her lips as she stared in shock at how how the room was now decorated.

Life sized pictures of the each member of the Flight Crew now hung above their individual lockers, the former stenciling of their names in black now changed to a deep green with the Jets symbol placed on either side of it. Rachel looked over each picture, taking in the different poses of the Crew before settling on her own, eyeing it critically. She walked forward towards her locker, still staring at the picture just as Holly and Nikki came out from the bathroom.

"Someone's running late," Holly teased while she watched Rachel tow her sky blue team issued suitcase over to her locker.

"Not really," Rachel replied absently as she set her purse into her locker and opened her suitcase, pulling out the things she'd need for practice.

"Please, you're always here early before practice," Holly laughed, sitting down on the bench by Rachel and looking to Nikki who just nodded her head in agreement. "Your car break down?"

"No," Rachel muttered, wishing more than ever that she could tell Holly why she was late.

"No?" Holly pondered, scrunching her face as she tried to think of another reason. She scooted closer to Rachel's locker, perplexed as to why she was late.

Rachel pulled off her t-shirt and tossed it in her locker, checking in the mirror discreetly to make sure she hadn't missed any of Finn's marks again. Satisfied she had them all covered, she quickly changed into her practice clothes, donning the black rhinestone studded sports bra and black short shorts Sue insisted all the veteran members of the Crew wear for practice post JFC training camp before sitting down on the bench next to Holly to tie her shoes, looking over at Holly when the other woman whistled. "What?"

"I think I know why you were late," Holly smirked as she looked over Rachel's back. "Check it out Nikki, looks like waterboy is a scratcher," she mused, pointing to the scratch marks covering Rachel's back.

Rachel frowned as she craned her neck, trying to see what Holly was talking about. Unable to see anything, she stood and walked to the full length mirror and examined herself, her heart hammering wildly as she saw the scratches on her back, immediately cursing herself for not noticing that the stone in Finn's shower had marked her. She'd rather have had a hickey to cover up. "I already told you I'm not seeing Jacob."

"Right, you've always had those scratches," Holly teased, leaning closer to examine them, as did Nikki. "What do you think, Nikki?"

Nikki peered closer. "Those scratches look like she was rubbing against something rough, like a rock."

"Hmm." Holly examined a particularly deep one. "Well we know little Rachel wouldn't ever have rough sex, but I'd say someone got it on in the shower. Waterboy hold you against the tiles of his shower?"

"I wouldn't know what Jacob's shower looks like since I'm _not_ dating him," Rachel snapped, stalking back to her locker, her cheeks burning from mortification at how close Holly had gotten to the truth.

"Uh huh. How long was he able to actually hold you up?" Holly questioned. "I doubt his arm strength is that good."

"It's from an abrasive loofah," she lied. "My back was really itchy this morning."

"I bet something was itchy," Holly laughed knowingly, watching Rachel grab her t-shirt.

"Yes," Rachel insisted as she pulled her T-shirt back on. "I really scrubbed my back this morning."

"No point in covering it up Rachel," Holly said with a shake of her head. "Coach is just going to make you lose the shirt anyway; she's checking us all out to make sure we're camera ready, plus she's doing that interview for _Cheerleading Now_ and they'll be taking pictures," she reminded her.

"Yeah," Nikki chimed in. "Remember she said no cover ups?"

"I can at least wear it down the hall," Rachel decided, having completely forgotten about the reporters coming today and she prayed Sue wouldn't notice the marks when she took off her shirt. Trying to change the subject, she grabbed her pompoms from the top of her locker. "That why she redid the locker room? For the interview?"

"Oh no," Holly explained as she walked across the room with a smile to pick up her own pompoms. "You know how Sue always watches that Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading show-"

"She still watches that?" Rachel asked in surprise. "Even after she tried to block it from airing?"

Holly nodded. "Ever since those 'tramps down in Dallas' stole the Delmonico Drop she watches their show religiously to see if they stole anything else," she explained. "You know they have their vets in blue and rookies in pink? Sue's looking into copyright violation since all the veterans here wear the black practice outfits and the rookies wear green. That aside, this is how they decorated their locker room so she wanted to change ours-can't have them looking better than us. So she called Sandy at 2 am demanding that the locker room be redone and this," she waved her pompom covered hands with a flourish, "is what we got."

"Oh." Rachel looked back up at the various pictures. "They all have their official pictures up?"

"They do," Nikki said. "Plus they have their whole name on their locker, not just their first name," she finished excitedly. "So mine would say Nicole Marie, not just Nikki."

"So why don't ours?" Rachel asked, wondering why hers just said Rachel and not Rachel Barbra.

"Sue felt it was tacky, especially once she saw how horrible some of the girls middle names were," Holly explained. "I must say I agree."

"Oh." Rachel stared, wondering if Holly was just saying that because she had a horrible middle name.

"I like the look of the locker room; I just wish Sue hadn't picked that pose for me," Holly pouted. She stood and went to stand in front of the full length mirror. "I think I should have had a pose that showed off the girls, not hid them. Don't you think?"

Rachel nodded absently as she checked one last time to make sure at least all of her hickeys were covered before looking at Holly's picture. It was a good picture, even if Holly apparently didn't like the fact that her back was mainly to the camera as she smiled over her shoulder.

"You should have had Quinn's pose," Nikki announced. Rachel glanced above Quinn's locker, taking in the sexy way the photographer had posed her, one hand pulling on the tie between her breasts as she walked towards the camera. "That's a total boob pose."

"Quinn looks fantastic in that picture," Rachel defended, wishing her own picture was half as sexy.

"Your pose is cute Rachel," Holly decided, smiling as she walked back to Rachel's locker and putting a friendly arm around her shoulders. "Almost wholesome, like the girl next door."

Rachel looked again at her picture, nodding in agreement with Holly that the picture of her with her thumbs hooked into her belt loops wasn't the sexiest of looks. Shifting her gaze to the right, her eyes landed on the clock and she groaned at how late it was. "We have to go," she told the others.

Holly followed her gaze. "Oooh we do, I don't want to be late today of all days," she said as she made her way to the door.

"Afraid you'll have to do the Slacker Special again?" Rachel quipped as she followed her out the door.

"No," Holly replied as she walked briskly down the hall. "My idol is here today."

"Your idol?" Rachel laughed as she jogged slightly to catch up, reaching the door to the practice room at the same time as Holly. "Sue's your idol now?"

"Not Sue. Terri," Holly clarified.

"Terri?" Rachel asked in confusion.

"Has sex with Waterboy fried your brain?" Holly commented sarcastically as she blew past Rachel to enter the room. "Terri Delmonico-Schuester-Schwartz? Inventor of the Delmonico Drop?"

"Oh. She's here today?" Rachel replied, momentarily panicked. The famed former JFC member occasionally stopped by to choreograph new routines and expected nothing less than the perfection she performed with, often stopping to criticize both the girls and their dancing. She gulped, not sure what would be worse, Sue noticing her scratches or Terri.

"She is. I want to be just like her one day," Holly said, smile in place as she pointed to a woman with honey colored hair deep in discussion with Sue and two men.

Rachel looked at where Holly was pointing and rolled her eyes. "You want to be just like Terri?" she repeated as she watched Terri and Sue talk. "Why? So you can have your own move?"

"I already have my own moves," Holly replied proudly. "We just don't use them here." She looked at Terri again. "No, I want to be successful like her-look how far she's gone since being on the Crew. Married to a Coach-"

"Divorced from the Coach," Rachel reminded.

"But remarried to a doctor," Holly breathed out with reverence. "A plastic surgeon no less! Plus she still consults here and is getting inducted into the Flight Crew Hall of Fame," she reminded her. "She's my hero."

Rachel rolled her eyes again and walked away from Holly, moving over by Quinn to stretch a bit.

"Hey," Quinn said casually as she shifted from her right splits to her left. "Have a good weekend?" she asked innocently, wondering if Rachel would tell her about Finn yet.

"Oh it was fine, a little boring," Rachel replied, sitting on the floor and opening her legs to a straddle position, her pompoms between herself and Quinn. "I just kinda stayed in and relaxed," she lied.

Quinn arched her brow, knowing full well that Rachel had spent time with Finn and his family. "Oh yeah? You just stayed home?"

"Pretty much," Rachel shrugged.

"Then let's go out tonight," Quinn said, willing to alter her plans with Puck for the evening to get some gossip. "I'm sure since you spent all weekend resting you aren't too tired to grab some dinner? Maybe a little shopping?" Quinn continued innocently.

"Um, actually," Rachel began haltingly.

"Where do you want to go?" Quinn asked, steamrolling over Rachel's attempt to evade. "We can grab a pizza, that'll be quick," she offered.

Rachel felt her cheeks warm at the mention of pizza and tried again to deflect Quinn. "Actually I can't tonight Q," she blurted out.

"What? Why?" Quinn asked. "Got a hot date?"

"No!" Rachel cried quickly. "I, um, have cooking class."

"When did you-"

"Q!" Sue barked, cutting Quinn's conversation with Rachel off. "Front and center, we've got a lot to do today."

Rachel stood, for once thankful to Sue for interrupting her conversation with Quinn. She yanked off her shirt and threw it to the side before picking her pompoms up and standing next to Brittany in line.

"Listen up ladies," Sue yelled into her bullhorn. "In case you haven't noticed you're standing in the midst of a celebrity," she announced, stepping in front of Terri as the other woman moved forward. "Me."

Rachel resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead watching quietly as Sue paced in front of them, her ever present clipboard and bullhorn in her hands.

"As you can see, the staff of _Cheerleading Now_ is here once again to interview me, since as you may have heard, yours truly has been named coach of the century. They will be taking pictures of practice today while they interview me, so try not to suck too badly. Anyone looking uggo in a picture will be on flag duty for a month."

Rachel squirmed, hoping her scratches didn't fall under that category.

"Now, you will be learning a new routine today, choreographed by Terri Schwartz," she explained shifting as Terri again tried to step out from behind her. "This routine will be performed at the First Annual Jets Flight Crew Hall of Fame induction, half time of opening day. Suck at it and you're out," she announced as she moved to the side, nodding at Terri. "Begin."

"Well as Coach said, I'll be teaching you ladies a new routine today, isn't that exciting?" Terri asked as she stepped forward, clapping her hands together, her large engagement ring and wedding band sparkling under the lights. "Now, some of you are familiar faces, like Quinn" she said with a smile as she moved in front of Quinn. "It's so nice to see that Sue made you captain. Have you decided on your starter yet?"

Quinn returned the smile and tilted her head slightly. "My starter?"

"Your starter on the Jets to date of course. You're the Captain, I'd hate to think of you dating a back up." She shuddered, horrified at the thought.

Quinn shook her head. "No."

"Don't worry, he's out there," she said with a sympathetic pat to Quinn's arm. "There's some real hotties on the team this year. If I were you, I'd go for that new wide receiver."

"We can't date players, Terri," Quinn announced, sneaking a glance at Rachel to see what her reaction was to Terri's statement. Rachel, she was pleased to see, had an annoyed look on her face. "It's a rule."

"We'll that's a shame. Luckily the Giants are nearby." She gave Quinn another reassuring pat. "I heard the quarterback over there just broke up with his girlfriend."

Quinn just smiled as she moved down the line, continuing to make comments about the routine.

"The song you'll be dancing to is _I've Got a Feeling," _Terri explained, stopping in front of Brittany. She looked Brittany up and down before she spoke again. "Well, I've got a feeling someone is enjoying too much fondue," she said lightly, pinching at Brittany's side.

"Good point, Terri," Sue barked. "Looks like Blaine and I will be commencing random fridge checks! Anyone found with food on the banned items list will be doing the Ultimate Slacker Special!"

Terri nodded sagely. "Make sure you ladies are all drinking your shakes like Coach tells you too-I don't want any fatties on my induction day!"

Moving on to Rachel, her smile became a look of pity. "Sweetie, you really should consider getting that nose job like we've talked about before. I'm sure my husband, the famed surgeon to the stars, Dr. Schwartz, would give you a good deal," she smiled. "I mean, he is your people after all."

Rachel just nodded, her smile dimming ever so slightly at Terri's words. They played over and over on a loop in her mind as Terri prattled on and on before moving forward to begin demonstrating.

"Now it goes like this," Terri announced as she began demonstrating the moves, counting them out as she went.

Rachel paid close attention, mimicking the moves easily. She was so focused on Terri that she missed the fact that the photographer had taken several photos of her while she danced, capturing the scratches on her back perfectly as she spun in a turn.

"Do you have it?" Terri called out, whirling around to face the squad after she finished demonstrating.

Rachel nodded along with the other members of the Crew, ready to perform herself.

"Let's take it from the top then," Terri stated while walking to sit in a director's chair next to Sue. "Veterans first."

Rachel and the other veterans quickly got into position, waiting for the music to start. Terri frowned when no music came and looked at Becky expectantly. "Um hello, you can start the music."

Rachel rolled her shoulders and turned to face the back, ready for the routine to begin.

"Cut!" Sue barked out into the megaphone before the music even began. "Berry! Front and center!"

"Yes?" Rachel called back, rushing to the center of the room.

"You sleep in a rose bush last night?" Sue questioned.

"No," Rachel answered quickly.

"No? Then did you get into a cat fight with a toddler over the last pair of footy pajamas at The Children's Place?"

"Of course not!" Rachel cried, her cheeks burning from humiliation.

"Then explain to me why you're at my practice with scratch marks all over," Sue said cooly. "Did you forget that we were being photographed today?"

Rachel tried to peek down at her chest, sure she had covered up all of the marks there. Seeing that some of the makeup had come off during rehearsal, she cursed Finn's shower as she spoke. "I um, was holding my pompoms too close that last run through, they must have scratched-"

"Your pompoms reach all the way around to scratch your back too?" Sue asked. "Didn't know you were that flexible."

"Oh those aren't from her practice poms," Holly snickered. "Those are from her new boyfriend. You look thirsty Rachel, want some water?" she teased.

Rachel turned to glare at Holly, giving Sue an even better look at her back.

"That so Rachel?" Sue questioned as she moved closer to Rachel. "Are you letting some guy maul you?"

"What?" Rachel whipped back around to stare at Sue. "No."

Sue glared down at her. "Because if it is, you better tell your man to watch it," she warned. "You show up here looking like Edward Scissorhands after he tries to scratch an itch again and I will hunt him down, cutting off the little bit of manhood he has as punishment for ruining the aesthetic look of my performance."

"I'm sorry! It won't happen again," Rachel replied quickly.

"It better not," Terri interjected. "I can't have you looking like that on my big night."

"My Crew does _not_ perform looking like this," Sue explained to the reporter watching next to her. "We pride ourselves on our appearance and despite Berry deciding to look like she humped a cactus, I can _guarantee_ that she'll show up on game day in pristine condition or else. Isn't that right, Rachel?"

"Right Coach." She nodded firmly, afraid to think of what would happen if she was still scratched on game day.

"Get into position Rachel," Sue barked. "Let this be a lesson for the rest of you. If anyone else shows up looking like they lost a fight to a porcupine, you're cut immediately."

Rachel scrambled into position, her face scarlet but relieved Sue hadn't punished her.

"Run through it once and then head back to the locker room to change into your jerseys so nobody else's eyes will be burned by Berry's back. We'll finish practice in them on the field. Start the music Becky," Sue directed, her eyes still trained on Rachel as the veterans began the routine.

Rachel felt Sue's eyes staring at her as she performed the routine, moving seamlessly from one move to the next. She kept her bright smile in place as she began to kick her legs throwing her right leg in the air one last time before nailing the famous Delmonico Drop. Her chest heaved as she held the pose, knowing better than to move before Sue dismissed them.

"Your kicks are higher today, Berry," Sue called out. "You finally start a new stretching routine?"

Rachel felt a flush creep up from her chest to her face, knowing she hadn't exactly stretched in her normal way that morning. "No Coach," she shook her head.

"Well whatever you did to get them higher, keep doing it. Then maybe you can work on having some sex appeal."

Terri nodded. "I think maybe you should curl your hair for game day. It'll make the hair whip look sexier," she decreed. "Plus then you won't finish that move early like you were-the whip is supposed to be 6-7, not just 6."

Sue picked up her bullhorn again. "And Nikki, that whole routine looked clunky. Fix it before game day or you're out. Now get the hell out of here and get changed," she yelled, causing the girls to scramble out the door to head for the locker room.

Rachel grabbed her T-shirt, throwing it on as she followed the other girls from the room. She ran through the routine in her mind, trying to analyze her moves in her head. Not watching where she was going, she walked right into Quinn. "Why are we all stopped?" she asked as she looked up to see everyone just standing outside of the locker room.

"I don't know but-"

"What part of get changed did you all miss?" Sue snapped from behind them as she headed towards her office.

"There's people in the locker room Coach," Nikki piped up from the front of the group. "Mr. Ryerson and Coach Schue and-" She got no further as Sue pushed her way through the Flight Crew to storm into the locker room.

"Ryerson!" she growled, gesturing to Will, Puck and Finn who were all just staring at the locker room as she spoke. "What are Larry, Moe and Curly doing in my locker room besides making it ugly?"

"Oh Sue," Sandy gushed. "After we redecorated in here last night I suddenly had a vision for the boys locker room!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Picture this: we decorate the boys room like an authentic rustic log cabin-I even have the perfect buck head I found antiquing a couple of weeks ago."

"This was your doing wasn't it?" Sue snarled at Will. "You've been dying to get into a winning locker room for years. Becky! Check my office and make sure my secret dance play book is still there!"

"I didn't want to come in here!" Will cried, as the girls began filing in. "And I don't want your play book!"

"Oh please, William. You've been trying to find the secret to success for years," Sue replied. "I find out that anything's missing from my book, I will take you down faster than it takes one of your curls to spring back into place after I pull it."

Rachel followed the other crew members into the locker room, her eyes immediately landing on Finn. She tried to catch his eye but he wasn't looking in her direction, instead his eyes were locked on the picture above her locker. Rachel watched his face intently as she tried to tell whether or not he liked the picture, completely ignoring the conversation going on in the room.

"Sue, I brought the boys in here," Sandy placated. "The girl's pictures above their lockers came out so fabulous, I simply had to show William and the boys to see if they wanted it for their locker room."

"Which we don't," Will replied.

"Of course you don't William. The pictures look good," Sue snarled. "You still think that wasp nest on your head looks good."

"I just wanted to show the boys how quickly the renovations could be done," Sandy laughed. "I need them to make a decision before they leave for Miami so I know whether or not to order the custom leather wing chairs for each locker."

"These renovations better not be coming out of my budget," Sue warned.

"I was trying to tell Sandy we don't need any redecorating," Will said. "So no worries Sue, your precious pompom budget is fine."

"But what about what the boys think?" Sandy interjected. "Finn, don't you _want_ a custom leather chair for your locker?"

Finn snapped his head over to where Sandy was standing. "Uh I-"

"Real eloquent there, Double Stuff," Sue interjected, not giving Finn a chance to finish. "I for one think the leather chairs will make the team look like more of a laughingstock than usual."

"Puckerman?" Sandy queried. "Picture doing post game interviews from the comfort of your own leather arm chair. Oh! I'll order silk smoking jackets for interviews!"

"Uh that sounds great, Mr. Ryerson but-"

"This isn't Masterpiece Theater, Ryerson! He gets leather chairs, I want a snow machine for the Christmas numbers," she cried, moving closer to Sandy as Will did the same, the trio's voices quickly escalating.

Rachel kept looking at Finn, smiling when he met her gaze. She was about to roll her eyes at him in response to the shouting match currently going on, when Holly stepped in front of her, breaking her connection to Finn.

Holly walked to Finn, her eyes raking over his body as she extended her hand to him. "Hi there," she giggled. "On behalf of the entire Flight Crew, I'd just like to say welcome to the team, we're so glad to have you," she purred, ignoring the yelling going on.

"Uh thanks," Finn replied, tearing his gaze from Rachel's to look at Holly.

"You're welcome," Holly preened. "And if you need anything you just let me know," she continued. "I'm kind of the unofficial welcoming committee for the team."

Finn flicked a glance to Rachel at Holly's choice of phrase, noticing that Rachel was watching them avidly. Speaking loud enough that his voice would carry to Rachel, he focused back on Holly. "Thanks, but I've already been welcomed to the team," he said with a smile.

Not quite ready to give up, Holly nodded. "Well if you think of _anything_ else you need, you just let me know ok? I'm kinda the go to girl here," she said proudly.

"Juggs!" Sue said sharply, focusing back on the locker room. "Do I need to remind you of the contract you signed? There's no talking to those losers!"

"The contract doesn't say they can't talk, Sue," Will said as he ran his hands through his hair, clearly frustrated.

"What are you still doing in my locker room?" Sue asked. "Get the hell out! Unlike you, I have a practice to run," she said as she pointed her finger to the door. "Out. Now."

"I didn't want to come here in the first place!" Will shouted at her before walking out the door.

"Oh dear," Sandy fretted, patting his hand over his chest. "Boys, let's take this back to your locker room shall we? You can give me your final decision there," he said as he led Puck and Finn from the room.

Rachel watched Finn go before she tuned back into what Sue was telling the other members of the Crew.

"10 minutes ladies. Get changed and get your sorry asses out on the field to perform," she yelled before storming from the room.

Along with everyone else, Rachel moved to her locker, quickly pulling on her practice jersey over her sports bra. She checked her makeup one last time, touching up the areas where it had come off and headed back out of the room towards the field.

_"Berry! I better not see a single scratch or you're doing the slacker special!"_

Rachel sighed. Practice was going to suck.

* * *

After another two hours of practice on the field, Sue dismissed the team, holding Quinn back to discuss the speech Quinn was supposed to give for Sue at the induction ceremony. Rachel made a beeline for the locker room, ignoring the conversations around her as she changed and repacked her suitcase. Mumbling a quick goodbye to Brittany, she left the locker room and headed down the hall towards the stadium's exit, pulling out her cell phone as she went. Once she reached her car, she set her suitcase inside the backseat before climbing in, texting Finn to tell him she was on her way home and he could come over anytime. Driving on autopilot, she made her way home and pulled into her designated spot in the garage before grabbing her suitcase and heading for the apartment building. Her phone beeped and she glanced at it, seeing a text from Finn.

**I'm here, where are you?**

Rachel typed back quickly.

**Just heading inside. Take the stairs and meet me by my door?**

She walked inside, quickly grabbing the next elevator and riding up to her floor. Smiling at the thought of him waiting for her, she stepped out of the elevator when it dinged, her smile growing when she saw him leaning against her door, a suitcase at his feet. Towing her own suitcase behind her, she walked quickly to her door, rising on her toes and pecking his lips once in greeting. "Hi."

"Hi," he echoed, bending to kiss her again. He pulled back and took her suitcase from her watching as she unlocked the door, a suitcase in each hand. "How was practice baby?"

"Terrible." She opened the door, kicking off her shoes the moment she walked inside.

"Yeah? We could only watch tape because the field was being used," he teased while closing the door behind him, setting his suitcase down in the foyer along with hers.

"It's your fault we were on the field I'll have you know," she huffed, poking him in the belly.

"My fault?" he questioned. "How was it my fault?"

"Well seeing as how you _had _to prove you had the better shower, I went to practice with my back looking like a cat's scratching post," she explained. "Holly thought the marks were from Jacob, although she nailed the shower sex part. She just thought it was from tile."

Not wanting to admit he'd noticed the scratches earlier, he winced before frowning. "Wait, she thought Jewfro did that?" he asked, insulted at his work being mistaken for Jacob's. "He wishes."

"Yeah, and that's what she told Sue too," Rachel told him.

"Sue noticed?" he questioned, wincing again.

"I had to listen to her ream me out in front of everyone! Even the reporters," Rachel admitted, still mortified. "Since she was being interviewed today, people were taking our pictures and she freaked out about my scratches being caught on camera."

"Poor baby," Finn cooed, pulling her close and bending to pick her up. He waited until she was eye level before placing a kiss on her lips. "Guess we'll just have to take baths together from now on."

Rachel wrapped her legs around him, kissing him again. "As long as the tub isn't stone."

"Nope." He kissed her again. "Can't make any promises about the tile though."

She giggled against his lips. "Good. Take me into the kitchen."

He carried her into the kitchen, letting her place kisses on his jaw as he walked. She slid down his body with a final kiss before walking over to the refrigerator to pull out the ingredients for dinner.

Finn followed her, wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing her temple. "So does that mean no more rough shower sex ever? Cause that was seriously hot."

Rachel turned and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his chest as she stared up at him. "It means we just have to be more creative with our positions when it comes to shower sex. I've already checked the Cosmo app on my phone."

"Yeah? Find anything good?" he asked, more than willing to forget cooking and jump in the shower right now.

"I might have," she replied, placing a kiss against his chest. "Guess you'll just have to wait and see."

"How long?" he demanded. "We should take advantage of your scratches and have rough sex now. You get scratched more, no one will notice."

"Don't think you're off the hook. I have a message for you from Sue, too. She says to tell my mystery man that if you mark me up again, she'll cut off what little manhood you have," Rachel announced as she separated from him and turned back to the fridge, pulling out what she needed. "Your shower is the reason we were going to the locker room-everyone had to change into their jerseys so the scratches would be hidden."

"Sorry baby," he replied. "How can I make it up to you?"

She smiled, reaching over to grab something off a nearby hook. "Start with this."

He eyed the floral apron she was holding out. "I don't think so, babe."

"That's too bad," Rachel commented. "I was all set to try out the Shower Sizzler or the Tub Tangle positions I saw on the Cosmo site later."

He grabbed the apron, pulling it over his head without further comment.

Rachel giggled as she tied her own apron on. "You look adorable."

Finn leaned against the counter as he watched her move about. "We can just order in baby, you've had a long day," he told her, still feeling guilty about her scratches getting her in trouble.

"I promised you I'd teach you to cook," she reminded him with a teasing smile. "First lesson? Turkey Chili."

They moved through the dinner preparations easily, talk of practice forgotten as they worked together to create the meal, only getting sidetracked when he'd stand behind her to help her chop or stir, kissing her neck despite Rachel's protests of danger.

Even with the distractions they managed to get the chili cooked and she couldn't help but laugh when he hesitated to try the chili once they sat down to eat.

"What if I screwed it up?" he asked doubtfully as he watched her lift a bite to her lips.

"You didn't screw it up Finn," she assured him before placing the spoon between her lips, humming in appreciation. "It's perfect. In fact, I'd say it was to die for."

He grinned at her before picking up his own spoon, making quick work of his bowl of chili. "That was good," he admitted with a smile.

"Told you," she teased, pushing back from the table to take his bowl and place it in the sink. As she walked back to the table to finish her chili, her earlier question from the locker room came back to her mind. She walked over to him, settling on his lap as she placed an arm around his neck. "Hey Finn?"

"Yeah baby?" His hands moved to snake around her waist, stoking her thigh lightly.

"What'd you think of the locker room?" she asked quietly. "I saw you staring."

"I couldn't take my eyes off your picture," he told her honestly.

Rachel lifted her eyes to his as she played with his hair. "Yeah?" she questioned casually. "So you thought it was ok?"

"Ok?" he laughed. "It was hot Rach," he corrected.

"You think so?" She bit her lip worriedly. "I mean, Holly thought it was kind of wholesome-"

"Who cares what Holly thinks? Trust me, it was hot," Finn assured her, adding a kiss. "Where can I get a life size copy?"

She giggled. "What would you do with that?"

"Stare at it all day," he murmured against her lips.

Pleased that he liked it, she stood and went to place her bowl in the sink, standing still as she felt him wrap his arms around her from behind, his face nuzzling her throat.

"Finny stop," she protested weakly even as she turned her head to give him easier access to her throat.

"No," he said, biting gently before running his tongue over the spot. "Let's see if Sue, or anyone else for that matter, notices this mark," he mused as she turned in his arms, smiling at him.

"I'll make sure to cover that," she warned him. "Although she might buy that it was a curling iron burn since she said in front of everyone that an 80 year old nun had more sex appeal than I do after she watched us on the JumboTron." Her head fell against his chest as he began to lazily stroke her back.

He rolled his eyes while continuing to rub her back. "Sue Sylvester wouldn't know sex appeal if it bit her on the ass. Seriously, does she think those track suits she wears every day make her look good?"

Rachel raised her eyes to his before she burst out laughing. "I honestly have no idea. It's just hard not to take her insults seriously when I'm surrounded by girls like Nikki and Holly who just naturally have sex appeal you know? You should have seen _them_ on the Jumbotron. They looked perfect even if Nikki was on the wrong yard line."

"I doubt they looked more perfect than you," Finn assured her. "It's like impossible."

"It's definitely possible," Rachel replied. "I mean, my chest is nowhere near Holly's size and her hair always whips around just right. Sue would _never _give her fake boobs to wear under her uniform. Then there's her perky little nose, it's so much cuter than mine."

"Hmm I think you underestimate the power of your appeal babe." He boosted her up on the counter so they were eye to eye before continuing. "Whose amazingly sexy picture is hidden in my locker huh? Cause I know it's not Holly's. Who's the girl that made me see stars on the trainer's table and the whirlpool-" His speech was cut off when she placed a scorching kiss on his lips.

"Me," she said, finally pulling back from the kiss. "I'm that girl."

"Damn right you are." He leaned in and kissed her again feeling her relax as she leaned into him. Catching her bottom lip in his teeth he bit lightly causing her to moan. His hands lightly rubbing her thighs, he pulled his mouth away and kept talking as if nothing had happened. "This is a new routine you were working on today?"

She nodded. "It's for opening day-Sue and Terri are being inducted into the Flight Crew Hall of Fame," she told him.

"Maybe you could show me?" he asked casually while resuming his earlier neck nuzzling.

She tilted her head to give him better access before replying. "What do you mean?"

"Well I haven't seen this routine yet you know," he said with a pout. "And I won't ever get to see a real performance. So maybe you could practice it now?" His tone was hopeful as he lifted his face, letting his mouth ghost over hers before whispering against her lips. "Please?"

Against begging like that, how could she deny him? She softly pressed her lips to his, her hands on his chest.

"Fine, but just once. There's a Real Housewives marathon on soon and I don't want to miss it." With that she jumped down from the counter and walked toward the living room.

"Great, can't wait," he muttered as he followed her into the living room. While she searched her iPod for the appropriate song he sprawled out the couch making sure he was in a comfortable position to watch her dance.

Finally locating the correct song, Rachel pressed play, jogged to the center of the room and crouched down on the balls of her feet.

Finn laughed at the music, "_I Gotta Feeling_? Really?"

Slowly rolling her body to a standing position as Sue had instructed she gave him a mock glare before continuing. Her body twisted side to side with exaggerated hip rolls before she leaned over and began to shimmy her shoulders.

His mouth went dry and he instantly became painfully aroused. Subconsciously his tongue darted out to lick his lips while he watched her shimmy and shake in front of him.

Rachel recognized the look on his face and smirked to herself, eyeing his tight pants as she slid her leg out to the side before dragging it back to her body. Deciding to have a little fun, she let her hands run up the sides of her body while she danced. She brought them back down and gripped the bottom of her shirt, lifting it a few inches before dropping it back down.

Executing a slow turn she put her back to him, bending over and touching the floor before slowly rolling her body back up. Her hips continued to twist as she turned back to him again bringing her hands up the sides of her body while circling her head, causing her hair to whip around her face.

His lips parted and his amber eyes darkened with lust as he watched her movements. Thank God the team missed most of the Flight Crew performances because if he saw her doing this at the game there was no way he'd be focused on the game, he'd be too busy staring.

Loving the way his eyes were devouring her she continued to dance, twisting her body low to the floor and standing back up. Her hands once again touched the bottom of her t-shirt and this time she pulled it high enough to allow a quick glimpse of bra before dropping it back down, enjoying his groans of disappointment.

She dragged her hands up her chest slowly, not stopping until she could bury her hands in her hair, fisting it as she sashayed a few steps towards him. The music continued to play as she turned from him again and reached down, gripping the hem of her shirt and pulling it up to her breasts. Her eyes smoldering, she stared at him over her shoulder before pulling it over her head. She pivoted to face him, tossing the shirt in his direction.

He looked down at the shirt in his lap before glancing back at her, his eyes raking over the purple lace bra gracing her chest and wondering if the matching counterpart was under her sweatpants. "Is...is that part of the routine?"

"I'm just trying to make it realistic," she replied innocently, as she bent down and dragged an arm up her leg, giving Finn a nice view of her cleavage. "I'd _never_ practice in such a baggy shirt."

"No?" he asked hoarsely, watching as her hands moved up her body to cup her breasts while she whipped her hair around. She stared at him, her fingers ever so slowly moving the lacy material of her bra to reveal more of her breasts but putting the material back in place before he could see anything good.

"Nope." She shimmied again, feeling her nipples tighten under his gaze before turning her back to him and shaking her hips slowly side to side. Her back to him, she brought her hands up her sides, fisting her hair again before she let it fall as she looked over her shoulder. She lowered her hands, teasing him by playing with the clasp of the bra but refusing to unhook it, instead dropping her hands to the waistband of her yoga pants, lowering them a few inches to give him a quick peek at her purple lace boyshorts before she pulled them back up. "But of course, I wouldn't be wearing these pants either."

"Take them off," he growled as he shifted on the couch, trying to find some relief for himself.

"You want me to take them off?" she questioned as she turned around to face him once again, giving him a little shimmy.

His question about her underwear answered, he was able to only eagerly nod his head yes, watching as she lowered the waistband of both her yoga pants and her panties a few inches, revealing her creamy skin.

"Hmm I don't know; I'd usually have some shorts on," she teased as she pulled the pants back up, hips swaying in time to the music.

"Take them off," he repeated gruffly, his eyes following her body as she turned her back to him and again lowered the two waistbands a few inches, giving him a view of her bare ass for a second before she pulled them back up and turned around.

"You take something off," she replied saucily, still shimmying to the song.

It took about a half second for him to pull his shirt up and over his head. He leaned back against the couch, his eyes fixated on Rachel, who was now swaying her hips from side to side, her fingers playing peek-a-boo with her underwear again as she lowered and raised her waistband. "Done."

"I see." Her eyes fixed on his, she resumed her hip rolls, one hand reaching up to lower a bra strap off her shoulder. "Done."

"Funny, babe," he said hoarsely, his eyes riveted to the bra covered breasts she was now cupping and pushing together as she danced.

"You said take something off," she teased, putting the bra strap back in place before executing some hair flips.

"What I said was take _them_ off. Them meaning your pants," he clarified as she moved her hands to her waistband.

"Oh." She slipped her fingers under the waistband of her panties, lowering both the panties and her pants to rest just above the apex of her thighs. "There."

"No way." He stared at the hands resting on her bare waist, mentally willing them to continuing lowering her pants.

"No?" She lowered them another inch, her eyes on his.

"I lost a whole shirt. Keep going."

"Well if you insist," she replied, once again hooking her thumbs into the waistband of her pants, swiveling her hips towards the ground as she bent and slowly pulled just the pants down her legs, stepping out of them as she stood back up.

He swallowed thickly as she stuck her right leg out to the side, placing her weight on her left leg as she hooked her thumbs into the panties still sitting on the apex of her thighs, mimicking her official Flight Crew picture now hanging above her locker. "Baby, that is a seriously hot pose."

"You really think so?" Her thumbs moved, lowering the panties slightly.

"Hell yeah," he replied lustily while his gaze roamed over her near naked body, practically drooling at the sight. "Come a little closer."

She sashayed towards him, stopping a good three feet away. "Better?"

"Closer," he directed, crooking his finger at her.

She closed the distance between them and stood between his legs. "How about now?"

"Almost there," he said as he yanked on her hips causing her to stumble onto his lap. "Mmmm that's better," he murmured just before his lips found hers.

She had never felt so sexy. Feeling his arousal through his jeans while she sat there clad only in her underwear heightened her desire as she returned his kiss, her tongue seeking his. Not breaking their kiss, she moved to straddle him, grinding herself into his jean covered erection. His groans, combined with the fact that the hands he had on her hips had now slipped into her panties to squeeze her ass, gave her a sense of empowerment and she pushed him back against the couch, grinding herself into him harder as she sucked on his tongue.

_"Fuck baby_," Finn moaned as she ran her hands over his bare chest. He tore his mouth from hers to streak down her neck to her chest, sucking on the soft skin above her bra. Not bothering to remove her bra he merely yanked it down and feasted on her breast.

"_Ooh_, _Finn_," she whimpered as she held his head to her chest and ground herself against him. Still holding his mouth to her breast, she felt him grip her ass and stand, locking her legs around his waist as he held her close. Secure in his arms, she picked his head up to make him switch breasts and he stood still for a minute, letting his mouth play as he held her in his arms. "_Ooh_!"

"God, I love your breasts," he murmured against her right one, placing small kisses all over it and sucking on the skin as he turned to lay her down on the couch, angling his body over hers before he switched breasts, repeating his actions on the left one. "I can't decide which one I like better."

"_Finn_. _Baby_..." she breathed out as his mouth continued its assault. She arched her back, her hands grabbing a couch pillow behind her for support. Her hips moved wantonly upward as she tried to feel him against her. "_Baby, oooh_."

"Tell me, baby," he moaned against her breast, pushing his hips forward when he felt her hand cup him through his jeans. He traced the curve of each breast with his tongue. "Tell me what you want."

She grabbed his face, kissing him hard once before trailing her lips up to his ear and licking the shell. "You."

"You have me," he murmured against her neck, sucking on the hickey he'd left before.

Too aroused to really think about the implications of his words, she slipped her hand into his pants and under his boxers, squeezing his erection firmly. "Not inside me."

He grinned as he sat up and quickly unsnapped his jeans, pulling them and his boxers down in one swift motion, quickly kicking them off his body. The feeling of Rachel's foot running up and down his back as she watched him shed his clothes was making him crazy with desire but he took a moment to look at her lying on the couch, legs spread, bra askew and panties damp before he spoke.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he murmured, grabbing the leg closest to him and kissing his way down it to her panties. He hooked his fingers in her panties as he began to trail kisses back up her leg to her ankle, his fingers peeling off her panties and dragging them behind his lips. He slid the panties off, not caring where they landed as he shifted, hooking an arm under each of her legs to get even closer to her while he kissed her lips roughly, entering her in one swift motion.

"_Oh! Baby_!" she moaned at the sensation of him filling her. The way he was holding her legs enabled him to go deeper and she gripped his shoulders with her hands as she met his thrusts eagerly. "_God, baby again_!"

He grinned against her neck, moving his arms so that her legs were closer to her chest before he pulled halfway out, pushing back into her immediately.

"_Oh_!" she cried out in pleasure, her legs flopping above his arms with each movement he made. Her hand flew to his face, pulling his lips to hers for a quick kiss before the sensation of the next thrust hit her. She writhed under him, her nails digging into the flesh of his shoulder when she felt the waves of pleasure from his thrusts hit her again and she screamed. "_Yes, baby_!"

He grunted an incoherent response, pulling out to repeat his actions several more times, each time earning a louder scream of pleasure from Rachel.

_"Oh God! Finn_!" His name left her lips on a strangled sob as she came undone moments later, clenching tightly around him.

"Ride it out, baby," he grunted as he continued to thrust inside her, loving the way she gripped him. He bent over and sucked the delicate skin of her throat letting her ride her orgasm out as his neared its peak.

_"Finn! Baby_!" She gripped him harder as the orgasm continued to pulsate through her body.

"_Holy shit! Rachel_!" he cried, stilling his movements as his own release washed over him. Exhausted but remaining deep inside of her, he removed his arms from under her legs, caging her head while he buried his face in her neck as the last of his orgasm left his body. He shuddered as her hands skimmed down his back and he moved to roll and switch their positions so he wouldn't crush her. Forgetting where they were, he rolled to his right and immediately fell to the floor with her in his arms.

"Oh my God, are you ok?" she asked while her shoulders shook with the laughter she was trying to hold back.

His breathing was still labored as he replied. "I'm fine but I may never get up again."

Deciding to play on his words, she trailed her fingers down his chest and rocked her hips, feeling him begin to swell inside her once more as she placed a kiss against his lips. "Mmmm, I bet I can prove you wrong."

"Yeah?" He grinned, one eyebrow arched as she sat up onto her knees and began to slowly grind against him, her actions making him hard inside her again. He glanced up at her and moaned at the sight of her arched back, hair flowing while she rode him.

"Fuck baby, you look incredible," he panted, watching as she buried her hands in her hair, a moan escaping her mouth. His hands rose up to grip her breasts as she moved over him, his eyes focused on her face. "So fucking sexy."

_"_Finn baby_, more_," she moaned, holding his hands to her breasts and showing him how she wanted to be fondled, her moans getting louder when he pinched her nipple. _"Oooh, _so good."

He slid one hand behind her neck and pulled her face down to his for a kiss. "God, baby," he murmured as he ran his tongue over her lips once before slipping it inside her mouth.

Rachel allowed this for a moment before she sat back up, wanting to try being in total control. She rose up on her knees, keeping just the tip of his erection inside her before dropping back down, her hands squeezing her breasts together as she repeated her movement.

"_Fuck baby, fuck_," he grunted, incapable of saying more than that.

Unable to resist the way he was staring up at her, she lowered her head to his, slipping her tongue back in his mouth. She swiveled her hips as they kissed and smirked against his mouth when he groaned incoherently.

She sat back up and placed her hand where they joined together, her head falling back with a moan as she rubbed her sensitive bundle of nerves. "_Oh! _Baby I'm there!"

_"_Me too, Rach," he cried hoarsely. Her words made him thrust up into her as hard he could to make her come first above him.

Moments later she paused her movements while moaning his name._ "God! Finn! Finn!"_

"_Shit, Rachel_!" He thrust into her one last time, the sight of her coming undone above him made him unable to hold back his own release any longer. His hands dug into her hips as he held her firmly in place, still buried deep inside her.

She smiled down at him before leaning over and kissing him again. "I knew you could do it baby," she murmured against his lips.

"You sure showed me," he said rubbing his nose against hers before running his hand down her back lazily, squeezing her ass as she rested on top of him. "That was definitely sexy by the way."

She pressed a kiss to his throat. "I felt sexy," she admitted. "I think I did this morning too."

"Well you are. Gorgeous, beautiful and sexy," he reminded her, locking his arms around her and stroking his hand up and down her back as he tried to make his next words sound casual. "Bet you'd feel even sexier and more gorgeous in Miami."

"Miami?" she repeated as she sat up and lifted her hips a little to release him from inside her, his hands gripping her ass automatically. "Finn, we talked about this."

"Yeah, Miami," he said, choosing his next words carefully. He massaged her ass for a moment, buying himself some time to think. "You know you could still come with me."

"No, Finny, I can't," she said with a shake of her head. "Even if I didn't have practice you know how much trouble we'd get into?"

"It's not all a team sponsored event," he reminded her as he tried to find a loophole in her logic.

"I know," she said softly. "But I have practice and you're going to be golfing before the game anyway." She gripped his forearms before she continued. "You'll still call me though right?"

He pouted, hating that she was right. "Of course," he replied sulkily.

"Good; you're going to have fun!" she told him brightly before remembering how full of bikini clad girls Miami was. "Just don't have too much fun."

"I'd rather stay and have fun here," he said, giving her ass a pinch. "But I already promised I'd golf."

"We'll have plenty of time for fun when you get back," she promised with a grin. She glanced at the clock, noting it was getting late. "What time is your flight?"

"Six," he groaned, following her gaze. "Shit."

"Come on," she told him, offering a hand to help him up. "You should get to bed."

"You're right," he admitted as he put his hand in hers, letting her help him up. Keeping his hand in hers he pulled her closer, only letting go when she came close enough for him to grab her hips. Lifting her over his shoulder easily, he carried her down the hall towards her room laughing as she pummeled his back, demanding he put her down. He dropped her on the bed before covering her body with his own.

He could always sleep on the plane.

* * *

**A/N: I love Terri as a character so being able to bring her back was a lot of fun :) I laugh every single time I hear **_**I've Got a Feeling**_** because of this chapter. Thanks for the read and please feel free to review!**

**Mida212-Thanks a million times over! You can change your pic soon…**


	11. About the south

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :(**

* * *

Exhausted from the previous night with Finn and having to wake up early so that he'd make his flight, Rachel yawned as she stared at the coffee pot on the counter, silently willing it to brew faster. She breathed in the rich scent as her mug slowly filled, her eyes closing in appreciation before popping back open as she heard the door to the apartment open, the sound of a rolling suitcase entering making her smile. Thinking she must not have locked it after sending Finn off, she stepped back into the living room fully expecting to see him back for one last goodbye kiss.

"Forget something?" she asked impishly, her eyes going comically wide as she came face to face with not Finn, but Quinn.

"I didn't forget anything," Quinn said, one eyebrow arched as she looked at Rachel. "But it looks like someone did. New shirt?" she asked innocently while toeing off her shoes.

Rachel glanced down at the faded University of Michigan t shirt she'd snuck out of Finn's suitcase and shrugged. "Uh no, actually it's," she paused for a moment, trying to think of an appropriate lie. "It's one of my dad's-I borrowed it a long time ago."

"Uh huh, your dad who can't stand U of M owned a U of M t-shirt?" Quinn asked patiently, crossing her arms as she peered down at Rachel, noticing a fresh hickey on her neck. "I'm certain he didn't lend you that new hickey-or wait did your curling iron burn you again?"

"It was a gag gift," Rachel said hastily, turning back towards the kitchen for her coffee, ignoring the remark about one of the marks Finn had left. "What are you doing here so early anyway? Let me guess- you forgot to go food shopping and need breakfast."

"Sue called an extra practice; 8:00 a.m. sharp. Becky was supposed to send out a text blast to everyone, or at least that's what Sue said when she called me this morning. But now that you mention it, I wouldn't mind a bite to eat." She followed Rachel into the kitchen, sitting down at the table.

Rachel picked up her cell phone from the kitchen counter, quickly checking for messages before setting it back down. "I don't have anything. Maybe she just wanted you to come in early."

"No, she definitely said it was a full practice. We're doing an extra performance but she hung up before I could ask for what."

"She called you this early about an extra practice? Doesn't she know it's common courtesy not to call before 9?" Rachel asked while she began digging through the fridge to see what she could offer Quinn to eat.

Quinn shrugged. "Part of being a captain is taking her calls whenever she sees fit to call. I was up anyway."

"What were you doing up before 9 on a Tuesday?"

"I was trying a new yoga class," Quinn said slyly, remembering how she and Puck had used the downward facing dog pose.

"A yoga class before 7 am?" Rachel asked in surprise as she pulled her head out of the fridge, holding a carton of eggs up in offering.

Wrinkling her nose at the eggs, Quinn stood up from the table ready to examine the fridge herself. "Yeah, it was a good workout."

"Was it one of those hot yogas? I've always wanted to try those," Rachel admitted as she placed the eggs back in the fridge and began looking around for other suggestions.

Quinn smiled to herself. "Oh it was definitely hot. You'll have to try it sometime-maybe when you're done with your cooking class," she commented innocently. "Didn't you say you had class last night?"

"I did," Rachel replied with a secret smile, remembering how well the 'class' had gone.

"Really?" Quinn replied dryly, stopping at the sink on her way to the fridge, eyeing the bowls set there with a smile. "Where was the class again?"

Rachel popped her out of the fridge, bumping her head against it in the process. "Oh, well it was here. A home lesson."

"Yeah? I've never heard of that," Quinn continued, knowing full well Rachel wasn't taking lessons. "What'd you make?"

"Turkey chili-it was to die for."

"What is your sudden obsession with that?" Quinn rolled her eyes and moved to join Rachel in front of the fridge. She scanned the shelves while waiting for a response, smirking as she spotted a six pack of Blue Moon beer. "Beer? Since when do you keep beer in the fridge?"

Rachel slammed the door of the fridge and turned to stand in front of it. "I bought it to have with the chili," she shot back.

"Your instructor specify a brand to get? Because the last time you bought beer I know it wasn't Blue Moon."

"Yes," Rachel answered hastily, moving away from the refrigerator. "He likes Blue Moon. So what time do we need to get there again?"

"We have a little time yet, so quit changing the subject. What's his name? Is he cute?" Quinn asked slyly, hoping she'd finally get Rachel to admit that it was Finn.

Rachel bit her lip as she tried to think of a name of someone Quinn _wouldn't_ know. "His name's-" she started, stopping when her phone beeped, signaling a text message. "That must be Becky's text."

"Oh I'll check," Quinn volunteered, reaching for the phone on the counter; sure Becky's text must have been sent earlier.

Rachel lunged forward at the same time, missing her phone by inches as Quinn lifted it from the counter with a grin.

Quinn lifted the phone above her head, preventing Rachel from grabbing it. "I didn't know you'd be so excited to hear from Becky," she laughed.

Rachel eyed the phone to calculate how high she'd have to jump to grab it. She jumped forward just as Quinn brought her hand behind her back. "Can I have my phone please?" she huffed while crossing her arms over her chest.

"I just want to see if Becky spelled everything correctly," Quinn said innocently, whipping out Rachel's phone as the name _Tigger_ flashed across the screen with part of the text. "Since when do you call Becky Tigger?"

"It's...an inside joke," Rachel stammered, feeling her face flush as she realized who must have texted her.

"That right?" Quinn's fingers flew over the number pad to unlock Rachel's phone so she could read the entire message, her eyebrows rising at the content. "Well, _Becky_ says that her flight's delayed, still time for you to come with her. She might even let you convince her to join the Mile High Club."

Rachel stood still, wishing she could melt into the floor like the Wicked Witch in_ The Wizard of Oz_ as Quinn read the text. "It's a joke," she offered lamely.

"Becky wants you to join the Mile High Club?" Quinn asked with a shake of her head. "I don't think so. So," she sing songed, "Who's Tigger?"

"It's Becky," Rachel tried insisting.

"Rachel-"

"I can't tell you who it is, ok?" Rachel huffed, throwing her arms out dramatically.

"Why not?" Quinn demanded.

"Because we're not supposed to be together," Rachel snapped, leaning out to grab her phone from Quinn.

Quinn merely held the phone up above her head again. "Oh really? Last time I checked the only people you couldn't be with were members of the Jets team," she mused as Rachel jumped for her phone. "So let's see. I know it's not Puckerman since you can't stand his mohawk."

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and pressed her lips tightly together, ignoring Quinn's attempt to get information.

"Hmmm, maybe Sam Evans? Matt Rutherford?" Annoyed Rachel wasn't giving in so easily, Quinn tossed out the one name she was sure would get Rachel to confess. "Please tell me it's not Jacob-though I don't think he technically counts as part of the team."

Irritated that everyone assumed she would date Jacob, Rachel cried out. "For the last time, I'm not dating Jacob! I'm dating Fi-," she started to admit, her mouth snapping closed as her phone beeped again with another message. Her eyes dropped automatically to the phone in Quinn's hand as she tried to read the message.

Quinn brought the phone back up and glanced at it before lowering it back down. "_That_ was Becky," she said offhandedly. "Now who did you say you were dating again?"

"I didn't say," Rachel said smugly.

"Maybe I'll just text him back then," Quinn said, raising the phone and positioning her fingers over the keypad.

Rachel bit her lip as she watched Quinn's fingers begin to fly over the keypad. "Wait!" She cried out, not putting it past Quinn to actually respond to Finn. "I'll tell you," she sighed.

Quinn looked at Rachel expectantly. "Well?"

Trying to avoid eye contact, Rachel looked down at the kitchen tile as she whispered. "It's Finn."

"I knew it!" Quinn crowed, lowering the phone as Rachel's head snapped up.

"What do you mean you knew it? You just spouted off a bunch of different names!"

Quinn waved her hand. "Oh please, that was just to get you to admit it. So tell me _everything_, and I mean everything," she commanded while plucking an apple out of the bowl of fruit on the counter. She took a bite and chewed before quirking her brow at Rachel. "I'm waiting."

Torn between wanting to share and not giving out information about their relationship, Rachel hesitated and looked at the clock as she tried to stall. "I have to shower if we're having an early practice. We can talk after that," she decreed while grabbing her phone, intent on texting Finn to tell him that Quinn now knew they were together.

"Fine," Quinn agreed brightly, taking another bite of her apple. "We'll talk in the car-I'll drive so you're not distracted from the story."

"Great," Rachel replied sarcastically, walking past Quinn towards the bathroom, her fingers moving rapidly as she replied to Finn's earlier text.

Quinn picked up Rachel's abandoned cup of coffee and drank deeply, waiting to hear the bathroom door close before taking out her own phone. Not even paying attention to the fact that Rachel never turned on the water in the shower, Quinn sent off a quick text to Puck.

_**Guess who finally got Rachel to admit she's dating Finn?**_

She went back to happily munching on the apple, frowning at his immediate response.

_**I already told you that. Why are you still up? Thought you'd be passed out since I wore you out last night**_**.**

Quinn snorted before she texted back.

_**Sue called an extra practice this morning. Aren't you curious as to why she admitted it?**_

She sent the text, debating on whether or not to tell him about the exact wording of the text she had read when she noticed that the shower wasn't running. Her phone in hand, she frowned as she read Puck's reply while walking to the bathroom.

_**That sucks and no. My fucking flight is delayed and Hudson won't stop texting long enough to entertain me.**_

"Are you really showering or just trying to stall?" Quinn asked through the door.

Rachel opened the door, her hair pulled up into a ponytail and make up on. Still in Finn's shirt she moved past Quinn to enter her bedroom to change for practice.

Quinn followed and leaned against the door jamb while Rachel changed. Anxious for details she asked, "So are you going to make me wait until we get in the car or are you going to start telling me about you and Finn now?"

"There really isn't that much to tell," Rachel tried again, not looking at Quinn as she finished changing and double checked the contents of her suitcase before zipping it closed.

"Right, because it's normal for me to walk in on a Tuesday morning to find you covered in hickeys-"

"I covered them all right?" Rachel asked, pausing in front of the mirror to check.

"No you missed one." She grabbed the concealer off Rachel's bureau covering the hickey just under her ear. "So this all started from that lunch? Wait. Is he the reason you've consumed massive quantities of chili?"

"That's how we met," she admitted. "The day you and Sue went into Manhattan to meet with her lawyer about suing Will, he was behind me at lunch and told me the turkey chili was to die for when I couldn't decide what to eat."

"That was before they left for training camp!"

"So?" She twisted trying to see if there were anymore marks.

"I can't believe you never told me!" Quinn huffed. "I'm insulted."

"I'm telling you now, aren't I?" She eyed herself in the mirror. "Are they all covered?"

"Yes, you covered them, but I'm more interested in how you came to be covered in them. So spill." Quinn eased off the door jamb, allowing Rachel to wheel her suitcase past her.

"Don't you need to go get your stuff?"

"It's already by the door," Quinn replied as she followed Rachel back down the hall into the kitchen.

Rachel picked up her coffee mug and raised a brow at Quinn. "Did you drink my coffee?"

"I'll buy you a cup at McDonald's on the way," Quinn offered. "Now quit stalling and start talking."

Rachel sighed and grabbed an apple for herself off of the counter and a water bottle from the fridge. "Ok, but you can't tell _anyone_ about this Quinn," she warned.

Quinn smiled as she promised, "Of course I won't." She happily led Rachel out of the apartment and into the elevator, biding her time on questioning Rachel since other people were in the elevator with them. Once they exited the building and entered the attached garage, Quinn's patience flew out the window. "Ok, so start at the beginning," she instructed while walking towards her BMW.

Trying one last attempt at stalling, Rachel smiled and said, "I still can't believe Sue managed to convince Sandy that a captain _**had**_ to have a BMW."

"Well she did." Quinn placed her suitcase in the car, a smirk on her face as she thought of the fact that Puck had actually given her the car when she made captain. She slipped into the driver's seat, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited for Rachel to join her.

Rachel shook her head. "Unbelievable."

"Now, I already know you met before training camp," Quinn reminded her as she exited the garage and pulled onto the street. "But when did you start dating? You two could barely talk to each other that day at lunch," she prompted, wanting to see if the timeline in her head matched the actual events that occurred.

"Well, actually we were able to talk after you and Noah left, but then Artie interrupted us," Rachel retorted. "But it was fitting day anyway, so I wouldn't have been able to have stayed much longer." She smiled at her next words. "I know Holly was ticked, but I was excited I got his number for my uniform."

"I remember she was ticked, which is why she dared you to go into the locker room," Quinn prodded as she drove towards the stadium, wondering if Rachel would finally admit that Finn had been in the locker room.

"Right," Rachel agreed, nodding her head firmly. "That ESPN report was wrong by the way," she continued, twisting in the seat of the car to face Quinn. "You know the one about where the players keep their cups."

"Oh? I'm sure that's where Hannah Storm said they kept them."

"Maybe other teams, but not the Jets," Rachel informed her with a shrug. "I checked quite a few to be sure, especially since Finn had something else in that spot in his locker. I did find his cup though."

"What did he have there if it wasn't his cup?" Quinn asked, hoping her voice didn't betray the fact that she already knew what Finn kept there

"My calendar picture from last year." She blushed at the thought. "At first I thought it was a joke, you know like maybe he was using my nose as target practice or something, but he said it brought him luck."

Pouncing on Rachel's admission, Quinn interjected. "So he _was_ in the locker room while you were!"

"Yes, and we talked for a second –" Rachel said, not wanting to admit she'd had sex multiple times in the locker room just yet.

"Is talking code for making out? Because if you're going to try and still tell me you had a curling iron burn on your neck when you came back..." She trailed off as she came to a red light and turned to Rachel.

"You didn't let me finish," Rachel admonished with a smile.

"Well by all means continue," Quinn told her while beginning to drive again.

"After we talked about the picture, I told him he could kiss me if he wanted to, and he did." She smirked, not admitting exactly where he'd kissed. "_A lot_."

"I _knew_ that wasn't a curling iron burn," Quinn triumphed. "You're so lucky Holly was too busy analyzing his cup to notice that hickey."

"It wasn't _his_ cup. I couldn't bring his cup back after we'd kissed. Anyway, after that we-"

"So you brought back someone else's cup," Quinn finished for Rachel.

"Yes. After that-"

"Hold on, I want to know whose cup you brought back," Quinn demanded.

"It was Karofsky's ok?" she retorted, annoyed at the interruptions. "Why do you care so much?"

"I don't care. What I do care about is this make out session." She pulled into a turning lane, waiting for the light to make a left. "How long was it and how many bases did he round?"

"It was a just a make out!" Rachel huffed. She bit her lip. "But it was pretty hot."

"How hot? What are we talking here?" She turned to look at Rachel, who was suddenly very interested in her nails. "Rachel, how hot?"

"Um...what base is him fondling my breasts?" she asked, still looking at her nails.

"Under the shirt?" She took Rachel's silence for an assent, completely ignoring the fact that she had a turning arrow. "Did he use his mouth?"

"You have the arrow," Rachel pointed out, ignoring her question.

"He did use his mouth! You slut you," she teased as she turned.

"I was in the moment!"

"Continue, slut," Quinn responded slyly as she drove down the street. "What happened after he got to third base?"

She bit her lip, deciding to keep the details of their tryst to herself. "We kissed more and then I left."

"You just left?"

"I had to get back!"

"I'm just saying," Quinn replied as she waved to the security guard at the gated entrance. "Was he hard when you left?"

"Quinn!" Rachel cried. "Not that it's any of your business but he was aroused while we were just talking."

"So when did you see him again?"

"The next morning. He took me to breakfast," she confided. "I thought he was letting me down easy, you know that the whole making out thing was a mistake or something, but he asked me on another date."

"He has your picture hanging in his locker, of course he asked you out. Where'd you go?"

"We went to a Journey tribute concert," Rachel replied as Quinn pulled into the stadium parking lot. "That was our first real date."

"Where'd you come up with the nickname Tigger?" Quinn asked. "Does he know you call him that?"

Rachel flushed as she explained, unbuckling and getting out of the car. "Well our second date, we went to a bar and I had a little much I guess," she said while grabbing her suitcase. "And when he brought me home, I insisted he give me a piggyback ride upstairs. Apparently, I told him that I felt like Roo, you know because Tigger carries Roo sometimes? But he's also fast and super cuddly, so it fits."

Quinn pulled her own suitcase from the car and looked at Rachel, realization dawning. "_That's_ why you told me you liked the house on Pooh Corner best when I texted you."

Rachel nodded, a blush on her face. "Yes."

Quinn laughed and began walking towards the stadium. "I'm glad you two finally got together. That day at lunch he could barely eat, he was staring so hard."

"He was probably checking for facial damage because I'd walked into a door in front of him," she replied absently, busy lifting her suitcase over the curb. "He likes to check for himself that I'm ok."

"Mmm. I bet he does." Quinn smirked as she lifted her own suitcase and wheeled it towards the door.

"Shut up," Rachel retorted, following Quinn inside the building and heading towards the locker room to put away their suitcases and get ready for practice.

She shed her clothes quickly, hesitating only for a moment when Quinn began to hum _The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers._ "Cut it out," she whispered harshly as she finished changing and headed down the hall to the practice room, Quinn hot on her heels.

"What? I can't hum a song I like?" she asked innocently. "That doesn't seem fair, Roo."

"_Quinn_! Knock it off!"

"Alright, alright. I don't know all the words anyway. I'll have to ask Tigger later," she replied with a grin, unable to resist another dig.

Relieved to actually be at practice so Quinn would stop laughing at her calling Finn Tigger; Rachel entered the practice room, immediately noticing Holly sitting up at the front of the room, sunglasses on and a bucket next to her. "Looks like Holly's sick."

"I doubt she's sick," Quinn retorted. "Probably just wanted the day off but knew Sue was making the announcement today for who made show group and who the group leaders are for the season. Bet she thinks if she's says she sick she won't have to dance."

"That's today? I thought she said she'd announce it at the end of the week!" She stared at Quinn in surprise, wondering if she had time to go back to her locker for her pocket hand sanitizer.

"No. She and Terri made their decision yesterday and she decided to tell everyone early so we get extra practice time for AM NY," Quinn explained. "You know she's trying to show why the JFC needs their own show. She's furious that Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are in season 7."

Rachel rolled her eyes at Sue's competitiveness. "She said yesterday she'd make the announcement today? I don't remember that."

"You were probably thinking about Tigger," Quinn teased with an eye roll of her own.

"Keep your voice down," Rachel hissed, her eyes darting side to side to see if anyone was listening to them talk.

"Oh please, nobody knows who Tigger is," she laughed before settling down to stretch.

Rachel sat on the floor next to her, pulling her feet towards herself in a butterfly stretch. "I'd like to keep it that way," she muttered, a smile forming quickly as Brittany dropped down next to her, immediately launching into a story about how Lord Tubbington had tried to delete Becky's text message about practice. Rachel shifted into her splits just as Sue walked into the room, her eyes scanning over the group of girls as she did a head count, immediately zeroing in on Holly sitting in the front of the room.

"Hartner! Are sunglasses part of your uniform?" she barked.

"No Coach," Holly mumbled weakly, pressing a hand to the side of her head as she shook it. "It's just that I'm not feeling well-"

"Sorry, I tuned you out as soon as you said no," Sue stated as she crossed to the stereo. "Now get up."

Holly groaned and slowly got to her feet, grabbing her practice pompoms under Sue's watchful eye.

"Ladies," Sue barked, finally addressing the room. "We're going to run through "_I've Got A Feeling_" once and then we're going to break out into groups. Formation. Now," she yelled, causing the room to scramble and Holly to toss her sunglasses before she hit play and turned the music up.

The music was blasted through the practice room as the entire Flight Crew ran through their "_I've Got a Feeling_" routine for what seemed like the millionth time since they'd learned it. Sue stood front and center watching them all with a glare, just waiting for someone to make a mistake. When the music finally stopped the squad just stood there, breathing heavily, and waited for her to comment, all of them knowing better than to move before being dismissed.

Sue walked up and down the row of women silently before shaking her head and returning to the front of the room. "That was pathetic," she spat at them, giving them all a glare. "We go on national television for the Hall of Fame ceremony in a week! I've got roaches in my kitchen who could dance better than you freaks just did! You all just made William Hung look like Billy Elliot." She shook her head in disgust before continuing. "You think this is hard? Try auditioning for the role of blonde cheerleading coach and being told you don't fit the part. That's hard!"

For the most part the girls just stood there stoically, certain she was nowhere near finished. Holly however wasn't afraid to pipe up.

"Maybe if I was in the front, where I belong, other people would be able to imitate my awesomeness." She looked directly at Rachel while speaking since Rachel had been placed front and center.

"Well if you didn't have those sandbags on your chest weighing you down and making you late on your turns I'd consider it," Sue snapped back at her. "But little Berry here didn't completely suck in that spot so she stays. Now, I'm going to call out your group leaders and your groups-I want this routine clean by 9:00 so I can announce the show group."

Rachel stood in place, shocked by Sue's backhanded compliment, having pretended the entire time that Finn had been watching her perform. A small smile crossed her face as she remembered her actual performance for him and how that had ended up.

Holly completely misunderstood Rachel's smile, and immediately launched into attack mode. "I wouldn't get too comfortable up there."

"Not for you to decide who stands where Hartner, but gee thanks for trying." Sue's gaze went away from Holly and swept across the entire squad. "This routine is so simple that the players themselves could do it, yet you princesses can't seem to get it right." Sue continued to drone on, picking on several more people for their apparent lackluster performance.

When she was done tearing the squad down she pulled out her glasses. "Alright, you _so you think you can dance _rejects, I have in my hand your group leaders. If you're lucky enough to hear your name called, come stand front and center. Quinn!"

Rachel cheered from her spot on the floor, waving her pompoms wildly as Quinn jumped up excitedly to stand next to Sue.

"Brittany!"

Not surprised by this name either, Rachel cheered just as hard, watching Quinn hug Brittany.

"Nikki!"

This name was greeted with less enthusiastic cheering from Rachel, who put her best acting skills to use as she watched Nikki excitedly walk up to Brittany and Quinn.

"Rachel!"

Her pompoms beginning to cheer automatically, Rachel looked up in surprise, sure she had misunderstood. "Me?"

"There another Rachel on the Crew?"

"No," Rachel replied, her head shaking side to side as she scrambled to stand.

"Then get your ass up here," Sue commanded. She waited until Rachel had bounced over to Quinn, hugging her and Brittany excitedly. "Now, rookies, each of you will be assigned to one of these group leaders. You have an issue? Don't understand the steps? See them-don't waste my time."

Rachel stood next to Brittany, still stunned that Sue had called her name. Her lips curved as Sue read off her clipboard, calling out the names of each member of the crew, dictating which group leader they were assigned to.

"And finally, Chelsea H., you're with Berry."

"Stop acting so surprised," Quinn said out the side of her mouth, smile still in place.

"I haven't been a group leader before," Rachel whispered back, her voice tinged with awe.

"Berry!" Sue snapped, turning around to face Rachel. "Is there a problem?"

"No Coach."

"Then quit squawking with Q and deal with your group."

Rachel turned back to Quinn, mouthing the words, "My group!" with a grin before facing the young women that were heading her way. She quickly introduced herself to the group. "So does anyone have any questions?"

One of the group shot her arm up, causing Rachel to giggle. "You don't need to raise your hand, Chelsea."

The young woman blushed and asked a question about one of the steps from their _I've Gotta Feeling_ routine. Recalling the last time she'd performed that routine and the reaction she'd gotten, Rachel smiled widely. "I can absolutely help you with that," she remarked confidently while beginning to demonstrate. "Watch me. It's all in the hips."

Rachel led her group through the moves, missing the daggers Holly was sending her way from Brittany's group. When Sue called them all back to perform, Rachel threw herself into the performance, excited to be setting an example for her group. The song ended as Rachel bit back a squeal, offering a small smile as Sue praised her group's efforts.

"That didn't make me want to hurl, so better ladies," Sue addressed the group as a whole. "Now, I have an announcement to make about our AM NY appearance, but first I'm announcing Show Group. Becky! My Show Group roster!"

Becky ran over from her place by the CD player, wheeling a large easel covered by a blanket. "Here you go Coach."

The girls all began to look to one another wondering whose name would be called for elite Show Group. Sue took her time, adjusting her glasses before she looked at the group. "Listen up Rookies. Show Group is the best of the best, which is why I only allow Veterans on it. You rookies all suck too much right now. The 12 names on this list have been carefully evaluated and hand picked by one Sue Sylvester to represent me at official functions and overseas performances for the troops throughout the year, as well as perform at the Super bowl pregame show, should Schuester's squad of losers ever make it. _This_ is what you aspire to, Rookies. Remember that, because I will not be embarrassed. Now without further ado this year's roster."

The girls watched anxiously as she pulled off the blanket to reveal a giant card bearing the words _Show Group_. She flipped the card down to reveal the next card, which was Brittany's official JFC picture. "Brittany!"

Everyone cheered, watching Sue reveal the official portraits of Quinn, Jackie, Claudia, Kim and Nikki. "I heard this year's troop morale performance is in The Philippines and Japan," Rachel whispered to Quinn as she watched Sue unveil Holly's picture, followed by Kelsey, Alicia and Whitney. "You're so lucky."

"Looks like you're pretty lucky yourself," Quinn replied, grinning as Sue unveiled Rachel's picture.

"I made it?" she asked dumbly, her mouth hanging open as she saw her picture.

"You made it!" Quinn confirmed, reaching over to hug her as did Brittany from Rachel's other side.

"But I've never made Show Group before!" she replied, still in shock and not even noticing the final two pictures being unveiled. "Are you sure? Sue always said my kicks weren't high enough."

"Must be all that stretching you've been doing lately," Quinn commented slyly as Rachel blushed. "Don't question it. You deserve Show Group."

"Q! Rachel! Can it or you're on pompom fluffing for a month," Sue barked, pleased when Rachel and Quinn immediately went silent. "Now about Show Group's first performance of the year. AM New York says-"

Holly rolled her eyes and crossed her arms under her breasts. "Let me guess. Rod requested us to shorten our skirts again?"

"Actually no," Sue replied, pulling off her glasses. "It's about who will be attending the show. Now-"

"Why bother coach? Everyone knows the whole Show Group goes, but it's going to be me, Quinn and Brittany dancing while the others just wave their poms like last year." Holly gave the other girls a smile. "Better luck next year girls."

"Actually Juggs, the whole show group _isn't _going," Sue said before starting to list the names. "AM New York has a smaller stage due to budget cuts so the only people going will be Quinn, Brittany and Rachel."

The room was so silent you could hear the slight ruffle of their pom poms caused by the breeze from the overhead fans. Rachel sat in shock as did the other girls. Finally, Holly again spoke up, noticing her name had not been called.

"What? Are you sure about Rachel?" Holly questioned dumbly, confused by this turn of events and focusing strictly on Rachel being picked before her.

"You questioning me, Juggs?" Sue demanded. "You and Kelsey are alternates."

"Whoa. I'm not going and Rachel is? I've been on Show Group for four years! She's never even made it before!" Holly cried. "Bad enough she got _**my **_month in the calendar last year but now she gets a spot on AM New York? Is this some kind of joke? Am I on punked? I am right?" She tossed her head back with a laugh, convinced she had figured it all out. "Come on out Beiber; I've got something for you to autograph." She preened at her reflection in the mirror just waiting for the camera crew to appear.

Sue stared at her, "I have no idea what you're talking about, I tuned out while trying to think if there was a way to deflate those balloons you attached to your chest." Looking over to where Rachel sat by Quinn she forged on. "I want a whole new routine choreographed by Quinn, Brittany and Rachel; we're on in two days and it better be _epic_. I won't be embarrassed in front of Rod and that trampy Andrea again."

Holly protested again before anyone else responded. "Coach you have to be joking, I've _**always**_ done the AM New York appearance."

"Not anymore Cans," Sue barked.

"No offense, but nobody wants to look at _that_," Holly seethed while gesturing over to Rachel. She ran her hand down her side, ending with it on her hip. "When they can look at _this."_

Sue looked less than convinced making Holly up her attack as she cocked her head to the side. "Seriously, she's as flat as a rock! You _know _Rod won't like it. He's a big boob and butt man. Rachel has neither, the only think big on her is her nose." Holly smirked at that, remembering all the comments Rod had made about her appearance last year. "He wants to see a real woman, not a ten year old."

"Nothing real about those watermelons you're carrying around Dolly Parton," Sue baked. "At least with Rachel I don't have to worry about the silicon bursting from the heat of the lights."

"I don't know what your problem is with my boobs is, they're total guy magnets. I totally saw #88 checking them out yesterday," she preened.

Rachel frowned at that new bit of information, looking down at her chest briefly. She was certainly no Holly in the chest department and Rachel bit her lip worriedly, automatically beginning to think Holly was right. She knew he loved breasts so it certainly wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Finn had really checked Holly out.

Sue's voice broke through her thoughts. "Plus, there's been a little flux in your weigh-ins Hartner. Can't have you performing with rolls over the side of your skirt. Berry here's actually been losing weight; maybe you should try asking her secret before we go live."

Rachel went pink at Sue's words, knowing the only difference in her routine was that she was having sex and lots of it. Again she smiled slightly as she thought of her times with Finn, earning another glare from Holly.

Holly went red in the face as she processed this new information. "I have _not _gained weight," she said through clenched teeth.

The other girls all shifted uncomfortably, refusing to make eye contact with Sue or Holly.

"You sure? You know I have the records saved in my notebook." Sue walked over to the radio to pick up the notebook sitting on top of it. "Should I read it aloud?"

Holly looked around the room trying to find some support. She didn't find any and hesitated a moment too long, and Sue began reading off the numbers.

"Stop," Holly said as Sue revealed an increase of four pounds in her weight. "It's all water weight." she said confidently.

"Whatever you say there Boobs McGee, I suggest you hit the sauna then and sweat it out after practice." Sue waved the notebook in the air. "Anyone else feel like questioning me today?" Receiving no answer she continued on. "That's what I thought. So ladies, hit the field and go through that routine again while I talk to the AM New York choreographers. Show group will begin rehearsals this afternoon with another early practice tomorrow."

Holly stood in the room mouth gaping and so red in the face that she felt steam would come out her ears in a second. Without saying a word, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door in the process.

Sue turned back to the rest of the remaining Crew members."Anyone else have an issue?" Again receiving no response she continued. "Then the rest of you morons get out then. I have a new routine to discuss."

The Crew quickly exited, leaving behind Quinn, Brittany and a still shell shocked Rachel.

"Alright ladies, less than 48 hours," Sue looked them over. "Any suggestions for this new routine? I want new, fresh and exciting."

Thinking of Finn, Rachel smiled as she said, "Well what about _Don't Stop Believing_?"

"You think Journey is fresh and exciting?" Sue shot back.

Rachel swallowed but pressed on. "It has a good team message, you know don't stop believing the Jets could go all the way this year?"

Sue pursed her lips as she nodded slowly. "The public are suckers for crap like that-even if it is about Schuester's losers. You have an hour to put something together and it better not suck," she stated before walking out to check on the girls on the field.

Rachel watched her walk out before turning to Quinn and Brittany, a brilliant smile on her face as she clapped her hands in excitement. "Let's get to work."

"We need the music," Brittany said.

"Oh I have it," Rachel smiled. "It's on my phone, just let me get it." She left the room and sprinted to the locker room, excited at the chance to see if she had any texts from Finn.

Grabbing her phone, she quickly unlocked it and grinned when she saw two missed texts, the first saying he'd landed and the second saying he already missed her. Walking back down the hall at a snail's pace, she texted him back that she missed him too, promising to text him back when practice was over.

She couldn't wait to share her big news.

* * *

Hours later with _Don't Stop Believing_ stuck in her head, Rachel followed Brittany and Quinn into the Flight Crew sauna, coming up short as she saw Holly stretched out on her back, clad in just a tiny towel as she talked to Nikki. Rachel hesitated and started to turn around when Holly called her name.

"Hey Rachel?"

Steeling herself for more insults, Rachel sat down on a low bench next to Quinn and below the high bench where Brittany had perched herself. "Yes?"

"Sorry I was such a bitch earlier," Holly stated bluntly. "I had a bad hangover and Sue pissed me off. I shouldn't have taken it out on you," she said graciously.

Rachel looked at Quinn who merely shrugged. "It's ok."

"Good," Holly replied as she turned her head to smile at Rachel. Her smile turned to a smirk as she saw some new marks on Rachel as the makeup Rachel had carefully applied that morning began to come off due to the heat of the sauna. "You might not be Rod's type," she continued. "But you are clearly other people's type. You forget to tell waterboy no new marks?"

Rachel looked down at her chest, the flush on her skin now not having anything to do with the heat of the room. "Those are the old ones," she lied.

"So what were you guys talking about before we came in?" Quinn asked, trying to help Rachel change the subject.

"The wildest places we've had sex," Nikki giggled from her seat on the bench opposite of Brittany. "It was an article in Cosmo?"

"It was?" Rachel blurted out, wondering how she'd missed that.

"You looking for new suggestions for you and waterboy Rachel?" Holly asked, her eyes closed.

"No," she lied quickly, already planning on looking it up on the drive home.

"I looked at that but mine wasn't in there," Brittany chimed in.

"Where was it?" Quinn asked, tilting her head back at the other blonde in curiosity.

"I told you, it wasn't in there," Brittany insisted.

"She means where your wildest place was," Rachel explained.

"Oh, it was a putt putt golf course," Brittany explained. "It was in the Windmill."

Rachel turned to look at her. "Seriously? A putt putt golf course?"

"Mine was in the article," Quinn said slyly. "Sex in the elevator of the apartment building," she explained before anyone could ask, causing Rachel to gasp.

"Seriously Quinn?" Rachel hissed in a whisper. "You had sex in the elevator in our building?"

"I did," Quinn nodded as Holly laughed.

"What about you Rachel? You and waterboy ever do it outside the bedroom?" Holly asked, tapping her fingers against the bench.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Rachel replied quickly, not bothering to correct Holly about Jacob.

"Where? Oh wait, you used the shower too. Not surprised that he likes water," Holly laughed. "I got it right?"

Rachel thought back on the places she and Finn had had sex, wishing she could say that she'd had sex in both locker rooms. Instead, she smoothly retorted, "Not just the shower, the kitchen table too."

"That's nothing," Holly laughed. "Amateur."

"Really?" Quinn asked, folding her arms over her chest. "Sex in an elevator or kitchen table is nothing?"

"Compared to the places I've done it, yeah it is." Holly shrugged and sat up, beginning to fix her hair.

"Rachel, if you're looking to spice up your sex life with waterboy, I suggest the mall." She turned to face Rachel.

"The mall?" Rachel echoed, not bothering to correct Holly about Jacob.

"Yeah," Holly boasted. "I did it in one of those little photo booths once."

Rachel's mouth dropped open, automatically beginning to wonder if Finn would even fit in a photo booth. "Really? A photo booth?

"Uh huh. It was super hot-the pictures came out good too," she smiled.

"But that curtain only covers part of the door!" Rachel insisted.

"So? The risk of being caught adds to the fun," Holly replied, Quinn, Nikki and Brittany all nodding in agreement. "Didn't you ever just have to have it, like right now?"

She stayed silent, the memories of the locker room coming flooding back.

"I did it in a pool once," Nikki offered, not wanting to be left out.

Rachel nodded along, certain her time with Finn in the whirlpool was better than Nikki's pool tryst.

"I was visiting my Grandma's retirement village in Florida and the pool boy was super cute-"

Rachel sat back against the bench, wishing she could tell them all the various locations she and Finn had used while vowing to check out that article in Cosmo to see if they'd missed any good locations. A smile spread across her face at the thought and she shifted on the bench to nudge Quinn. "You ready to go? I'm exhausted," she said giving an exaggerated fake yawn.

"I should probably go too, I bet I've sweated off that weight," Holly mused proudly. "See you ladies tomorrow," she said as she strutted from the room, Nikki in tow.

"You really wanna go?" Quinn asked, wondering if that had been a ploy to get away from Holly.

"I'm super tired," Rachel insisted, yawning again to get the point that she really wanted to leave across.

"I bet," Quinn said dryly. "Good thing you don't have a cooking class tonight."

"You're taking cooking classes Rachel?" Brittany asked as she climbed down from her bench.

"She is," Quinn answered for her, leading the trio out of the sauna back to the locker room. "She even gets lessons right at home."

"Really? Maybe your teacher can come teach Lord Tubbington how to cook," Brittany mused, dropping her towel and beginning to dress.

"Yeah Rachel, can he?" Quinn added innocently.

"Um no," Rachel said with a shake of her head before she glared at Quinn. "Besides, I thought we agreed Lord Tubbington wasn't going to cook anymore," she reminded Brittany with a shudder as she thought back to the time Lord Tubbington had coughed up a hairball into a bowl of brownie batter.

"He wants to try again," Brittany insisted. "He said so. Can your instructor come tonight?"

"No, he's out of town," Rachel replied automatically as she again took out her phone to see if Finn had texted her.

"Well then you can teach him," Brittany decided, tossing her purse over her shoulder. "What did he teach you to make?"

"Turkey chili," Quinn laughed as she took her suitcase from her locker. "I don't think Lord Tubbington likes turkey though Brits."

"He doesn't. Did he teach you to make anything else?"

"No," Rachel said with a shake of her head. "Just that."

"I guess we'll just have fondue again," Brittany shrugged. "You really should learn more than one thing though Rachel. See you tomorrow," she said as she dragged her suitcase out the door.

"Bye," Rachel called out, slapping at Quinn's arm as she chuckled.

"You really should learn more than one thing Rachel," Quinn parroted. "But I don't mind leftovers, especially with a side of gossip."

"Quinn, I'm really tired and just want-"

"To talk to Finn, I know. And you will," Quinn assured her as she led her out the doors, one arm slung over Rachel's shoulders. "Just as soon as you finish telling me the rest, Roo."

"The rest?" Rachel echoed, tucking her phone back into her purse while matching Quinn's stride.

"I wanna know how you know Tigger's super cuddly," Quinn said slyly. "Along with a few other things, like which came first, the shower or the kitchen table?"

"The kitchen table," she mumbled as they approached the car, setting their suitcases inside.

"Was there anywhere before that?" Quinn started the car and headed back towards the apartment building.

"Yes," Rachel admitted with a small smile.

"Where?" Quinn demanded. "Where and when was the first time?"

"Um, it was...another table," she replied, purposely leaving out what kind of table it was and where.

"_Another_ table?" Quinn glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "Have you two ever heard of a bed?"

"Of course we have!" Rachel huffed. "We had sex in a bed last night and the night before! That was the first time in a bed actually."

"You've been seeing him for weeks and you _just_ had sex in a bed?" Quinn demanded, amazed at what she was hearing. "Where else have you gotten it on besides the shower and tables?"

"Um...the couch a few times, a wall, the floor, and from behind a bunch of times. Oh. And a whirlpool." She paused. "Wait. Did you mean sex sex or oral sex?"

Quinn slammed on the brakes in surprise. "Rachel. Details now."

Rachel began where she'd left off, only leaving out any mention of the fact that she and Finn had made use of the men's locker room in several locations.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe you kept this from me," Quinn announced when she was done. "We're so having a sleepover to discuss this more."

"But I have to-"

"You can still call Finn," Quinn promised. "I have to make some calls off my own, so call him while I get my stuff."

"But that'll only take you 5 minutes!" Rachel protested. "I have to tell him about Show Group and that'll take at least an hour! And that's if he even answers!"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll give you an hour, but I'm sleeping over, ok? We have to celebrate you making Show Group, too."

"Ok." Rachel nodded, suddenly wishing she'd gone to Miami. She had feeling she'd like celebrating with Finn better.

A lot better.

* * *

Fresh from team meetings, Finn walked into his hotel room, anxious to call Rachel for their scheduled FaceTime chat. They'd only been able to text last night since he had a roommate on this trip who'd been in the room when she'd called and Quinn had stayed the night at Rachel's, but they'd agreed to actually talk this evening and he couldn't wait.

He grabbed his iPad from the nightstand and pressed the app, quickly selecting her contact info and waiting for the call to connect. A few seconds later, he smiled as he saw her come onto the screen. "Hey baby," he said as he stretched out on the bed. "I missed you today."

"Hi, Finn." She filled his screen as she settled on her own bed.

He grinned at the slight blush that his words caused and carried on. "Did you have a good practice?"

She smiled at him and nodded, her eyes bright as she eased herself into a comfortable position. "Practice was _really _good today actually."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Well," she smirked, drawing out the word. "We worked on that new routine for AM New York tomorrow."

"That's tomorrow?" Finn asked, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. He thought over their texts, not remembering Rachel saying it was coming up that fast, only that she was so excited to be chosen to go on the show.

Rachel nodded enthusiastically. "You going to watch?"

"Of course I am, baby," he replied automatically, excited at the thought of getting to watch her perform. "What song are you doing now?"

"You'll have to wait and see," she teased. Wishing he was there to celebrate with her, her eyes drank in his appearance, frowning slightly when she noticed how red his skin looked. "Looks like you got some sun today baby."

Her mind immediately thought of him at the beach, surrounded by women who looked like Holly in teeny bikinis. The thought caused her to frown and she almost missed Finn's reply.

"A little," he replied nonchalantly. "Kinda forgot how hot the sun can get down here." Noticing her frown, he asked, "Everything ok baby?"

The thought of him at the beach surrounded by Holly look-a-likes was still on her mind and she paused, trying to figure out how to formulate her fears. "You got that much sun on the golf course?"

"Well yeah," he replied, clearly puzzled. "We were out on the course most of the day then I had dinner with my Pops," he explained.

"Your Pops? Is that a new nickname for Noah?" Rachel questioned, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"No, Pops isn't a new nickname for Puck." He smiled at her through the screen even as he shook his head. "Pops is my Grandpa; my mom's dad. He always com to my Florida games."

"Oh," Rachel said. "Well that's nice-did you have a good time?"

Finn nodded, his mind drifting back to the conversation he'd had with his Grandpa.

_"You liking the new team alright?" Al asked around a bite of chicken._

_Finn grinned across the table. "I love the new team. I get to play with Puck and Sam and-" He broke off as his phone beeped in his pocket. Sheepishly he glanced at Al, not wanting to be rude but not wanting to miss a text from Rachel._

_"You got another hot date tonight?" Al smiled._

_Finn returned Al's grin. "There's this girl," he began._

_"This girl got a name?"_

_"Rachel," Finn supplied._

_"Well are you going to leave her waiting?" Al asked, seeing Finn reach for his phone once more._

_"You don't mind? I'll only be a second," Finn promised when Al shook his head. He checked his text, smiling as he sent his reply._

_Placing his phone back in his pocket, he focused again on his Grandpa. "So, yeah, the team's really awesome."_

_"This Rachel girl part of this awesome team?" Al asked, his brow arching much the way Finn's did whenever Finn questioned something._

_Finn tilted his head to the side as he considered his answer. "Like you don't know. How much did Mom tell you before I came down here?"_

_"Nothing," Al replied innocently. "So is she?"_

_"She's a cheerleader for the team," Finn admitted, reaching for his fork only to have his phone beep again. He looked up at Al, silently asking permission to check his phone again. When Al nodded, Finn took the phone out of his pocket and tapped a reply, mentally debating whether to put the phone away again or not. Luckily, Al solved his mental debate._

"_You got her picture there?" Al asked, gesturing towards Finn's phone._

_Nodding his head eagerly, Finn picked up his phone, automatically moving to Rachel's facebook page and enlarging her profile picture before handing the phone off to Al._

_"Pretty girl." Al smiled down at the picture before passing the phone back, his eyes twinkling when Finn took the phone back to look at Rachel's picture again. "She definitely looks familiar."_

_"You've probably seen her during the games," Finn replied absently, giving the photo one last glance before locking the phone._

_"That's right," Al crowed. "That's the one you ran into at the game isn't it?"_

Still mentally kicking himself for running into Rachel, Finn tuned back in to the conversation just as Rachel questioned him again.

She licked her lips before replying. "You didn't go to the beach at all?"

"No babe, I came here for golf," he said, puzzled by her assumption. "Why would you think I went to the beach?"

"It's just that you're so red and you're in Miami with Noah. I'm just surprised he didn't take you to the beach to look at all the hot girls." Like Holly, she thought to herself with a frown.

"No, Rach. If I went to the beach here to see a hot girl, I wouldn't have anyone to look at because the hottest girl I know is currently in New York wearing one of my shirts." His eyes scanned over her, loving the fact that she was wearing one of his old U of M t-shirts. "A shirt that mysteriously disappeared, you know."

She smiled, fisting the shirt in her hands. "Did it?"

"It did." He eyed his shirt, wondering what Rachel was wearing underneath it. "But I have to say, it just adds to the hotness."

She bit her lip. "So you really didn't go to the beach?"

Trying to set her mind at ease, he smiled at her, loving the blush that was appearing on her face. "Hang on a second." He placed the iPad against the pillow next to him and pulled up the hem of his shirt, showing her his pale stomach. "See this farmer's tan?"

She glanced over his pale stomach muscles, sharply contrasted to his red forearms and let out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding. "Well I need to see your whole chest to be sure," she replied, trying to keep a straight face. "Maybe you put sunscreen on your stomach."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I told you I forgot, but if you really want to see..."

"I do."

He grinned as he pulled his shirt completely off. "See? I'm fine, just a little red."

She stared at him, her eyes drinking in his bare chest. "Mmm. I see."

His gaze roamed over her again before he tried to change the subject. "And now I'm feeling like a piece of meat, since you know, you're still totally dressed and staring."

Rachel's gaze met his and she grinned. "I'm sure you have a solution for that."

"Well," he told her quickly. "I'm shirtless, so it's only fair you are too."

"Only fair?" she repeated with a smirk.

"Uh huh, or else I'm going to have to cover up so we're even. You know how I feel about my chest."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about Finn; I've told you numerous times how great you look." Her smile bloomed as she continued. "But if it'll make you feel better..."

"It will."

"In that case…" She propped her iPad up against her headboard, turning and moving back a few feet before she pulled up his shirt a few inches, showing a strip of skin between her panties and the t-shirt, much as he had done to her. "Feel better?"

"No. I want the whole thing baby," he insisted, his eyes glued to the screen.

"How about to here?" she asked while holding the t-shirt just under her breasts.

"All the way off."

Aware he was watching, she dragged the t-shirt slowly over her breasts before taking it off and dropping it to the bed beside her. She reached forward, purposefully focusing the iPad back on her face. "There. All better."

"How's that better? I can't see!" he pouted.

"See what?" she purred, knowing perfectly well what he wanted to see. "Don't you want to see my face?"

"You," he replied lowly. "I want to see all of you."

She repositioned the iPad back so he could see her body, pushing her chest out as she leaned back on her hands. "Better?"

His eyes dilated at the sight of her now naked chest and he swore he almost started to drool. The thought of her in his t-shirt was hot, but the thought of her in just his t-shirt with no bra? That thought was just scorching. He'd already started getting hard when he'd seen her in his shirt, but now he was well on his way to quickly becoming rock hard. "Um, yeah that's better," he said huskily.

Rachel flushed as she felt his gaze sweep over her, almost as physical as if he were touching her. "Good, so tell me more about your golf game."

He licked his lips as he stared at her breasts, watching her nipples pucker. "It was fine; I did ok."

Tired of sitting up, she scooted back a little to lay down on her stomach. She raised up on her elbows as she talked, unconsciously giving Finn a great shot of her cleavage. "That's good! You guys raise a lot of money?"

He swallowed hard and tried to ignore the tightening of his pants as he responded. "Yeah; this event always does well."

Rachel twisted a lock of hair in her fingers, bringing it over her shoulder as she talked. "I'm glad to hear it and even gladder you're able to help out a friend like this."

His eyes followed her fingers twirling her hair before replying. "No big deal, but I'd much rather you were here with me today."

"Oh yeah?" she said with a smile. "Why's that?"

"Because then I could be playing with your hair while I kissed you," he told her, his voice dropping seductively.

Her fingers stilled as she processed his words. "Oh?"

Speechless Rachel was always fun, Finn thought before speaking again. "And while I was kissing you, I'd touch you too."

"You would? Where would you touch me?" she asked coyly.

He drew his gaze up from her breasts, surprised that she was continuing what he'd started. He cleared his throat as he considered, deciding to see how far she was willing to go. "Well, I love the feeling of my face buried in your neck, my lips kissing your skin."

Her hand touched her neck at his words, a smile on her face as she rubbed the skin there.

"And while I was doing that, my hands would trail down your chest to cup your awesome breasts so that my thumbs could massage them," he added, now rock hard and wishing more than anything that he could reach through the screen and pull her into his hotel room.

Rachel's breath quickened at his words. "I love it when you do that."

"Next time you're coming with me," he said fiercely.

Rachel smiled at him as she sat back up, enjoying his groan at seeing her chest again."I'd like that even better," she whispered.

"Me too baby," he said while imagining all the places he could take her and the fun they could have. Idly, he wondered if she'd ever had sex on a beach. He hadn't, but there was a first time for everything right? He was lost in thought and missed the sound of someone knocking on his door.

Rachel however heard the knock and frowned. "Who's knocking on your door this late?"

"Huh?" he asked, coming back to reality after imagining her laid out in the sand beneath him.

"Finn?" Sam's voice came through the door. "Finn? You in there?"

"Shit," Finn muttered. "Hang on baby, give me one second to get rid of him." He quickly scrambled out of bed and walked to the door, placing the iPad over the bulge in his shorts as he opened it. "What's up?" he asked quickly.

"Hey man," Sam said as he attempted to walk into the room only to be thwarted by Finn. "Puckerman and I were heading out to this club-Matt says Anna Hanapova, that hot tennis player, hangs out there. You in?"

Finn scratched the back of his neck and gave an exaggerated yawn. "Nah, I'm beat. Think I'll just…uh…make an early night of it." He moved to close the door on Sam but wasn't fast enough and Sam's hand slapped against it, holding it open.

"Dude, did you miss the part of me saying Anna hangs out there?" Sam looked stunned by the thought of Finn turning him down but he pressed on. "I mean come on, hang for a bit maybe we'll hook you up for the night."

Mentally groaning since Rachel was hearing all of this he replied firmly. "Seriously dude, you two go. I'm beat. I'll talk to you in the morning."

With that he pushed firmly on the door, closing it on Sam's shocked face. He walked back to the bed and settled against the pillows and brought the iPad back up as he playfully asked, "Now where were we?"

She didn't reply right away, instead just looked at him with worried eyes. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, covering his view of her breasts as she whispered. "You sure you don't want to go to that club? We can talk tomorrow after the game."

"Nope." He shook his head at her. "I'd much rather talk to you." His eyes took in her appearance and he pouted. "Not that I'm complaining since you have great legs baby, but why are you covering up?"

Rachel licked her lips nervously before responding with a question of her own. "You sure you don't want to meet her? You can go," she mumbled. "I could tell you're excited to see her. It wasn't hard to miss since you put the iPad right there."

"Rachel-"

"She's gorgeous-I saw her picture on Cosmo's cover last month." Her mind recalled the cover shot of the gorgeous raven haired tennis player. She would be a perfect complement to Finn's physique which caused Rachel to frown as she awaited his answer.

"Rachel, no. I told you before I want to talk to _your_ gorgeous self, not anyone else. I'm hard because I was looking at _you._Now, can you please put your smoking hot legs back down?" Finn ran his hand through his hair in frustration as he mentally cursed Sam for interrupting earlier.

She eased her legs down a bit, exposing the tops of her breasts again. "You really think I'm gorgeous?"

"Gorgeous," he said firmly, noticing her legs move. "Sexy." Her legs moved more, allowing him a slightly better view. "Beautiful." She stretched her legs completely back out, revealing her chest to him again.

"That's better," he smiled at her and tried to recapture their previous playfulness. "Now where were we?"

"You were telling me where you'd touch," she whispered with her eyes locked on his.

"Yeah," he smiled at her. "Well after I paid some attention to your awesome breasts, I'd let my hand slip lower." He felt himself hardening again and decided to push a little further. "Of course, I'd let you keep your panties on for a moment, I'd just tease along the edges."

Her breath quickened at his words. A quiet, "Oh?" was all she could say since he was mesmerizing her with his words.

"Uh huh," he continued. "And when you started to squirm I'd slide them off slowly." He held his breath and watched her face, noticing how her eyes had closed, her fingers gently running along her skin as she listened. "Maybe you should take your panties off now so you can see what I mean."

"You think I should?" Her eyes were dark with desire as she slipped her hand lower on her body, toying with the waistband of her panties. Her body was infused with a rosy blush, showing him how much she was enjoying it.

"I'd love it if you did, but you don't have to, baby," he assured her, not wanting to seem like an ass for pushing too far.

She stared at him, biting her lip in contemplation as she dipped her fingers inside of her panties. "I don't know."

"Would it make you feel better if I did it?" he asked huskily.

Rachel licked her lips and nodded, waiting to see if he would comply.

When she nodded, he quickly stripped himself of his shorts and boxers, holding them up for Rachel to see. "There."

He stretched on the bed, allowing Rachel to see his full form. "So like I was saying. Once the panties were on the floor, I'd-"

"Wait," she interrupted. Her eyes stayed focused on him as her hand slid down her body. She lifted her hips and tugged her panties down her legs. "Continue."

He groaned at the sight of her naked on her bed and cursed the distance between them. "You're so coming with me next time baby; this is killing me."

"Me too Finn," she whispered at him as she turned to lay on her side. "I wish you were here."

"I'm back Friday," he assured her while staring at her naked form stretched on the bed. "God, you have no idea what you're doing to me, do you?"

"What am I doing? I'm just lying here, Finn," she replied, gesturing to her nude body.

"Exactly, babe." His erection twitched as he watched her shift slightly, her breasts bouncing.

She stared at him, her head propped on her elbow. "I'm simply lying here, listening to you narrate an erotic tale."

He grinned. "Where was I?"

She held up her panties on the bed next to her, tossing them over her shoulder behind her. "You'd thrown my panties on the floor."

"Right. Once your underwear was on the floor, I'd slide my hands back up your legs," he continued, his eyes darkening as she shifted restlessly on the bed.

"What else?" she whispered as she bent one knee, her fingers resting high on her thigh, his words setting her body on fire.

Finn swallowed thickly, unbearably aroused at the sight she made. "Well, I'd kiss you, first on the lips and then that spot on your throat that makes you crazy. And while I did that, I'd keep touching. My hands would cup your breasts, playing with them until they were stiff peaks and I could put them in my mouth."

Her hand traveled a little higher and he decided to press his luck a little further. "Touch one for me."

She stared at him for a moment and he held his breath, afraid he'd gone too far until he realized her hand had traveled up to her breast, playing with it as she continued to stare at him through eyes dark with desire. "Is this how you'd do it?"

Temporarily forgetting what he was going to say, he watched with lustful eyes as she rolled her nipple between her fingers, soft moans coming from her mouth as her eyes closed. "Mmm, just like that baby."

"_Ooh_." Her eyes opened as she worked her nipple to a stiff peak and she shifted onto her back, both hands beginning to fondle her breasts.

"Does that feel good?" he asked, his eyes glued to her hand movements.

"So good," she moaned, pinching her nipples between her fingers and tugging before releasing them. She raised her index finger to her mouth and sucked it for a second before returning it to her breast and circling it around her stiff peak. "But your mouth would feel even better," she moaned, her hands tugging at her nipples.

"I'd definitely use my mouth," he told her lowly. "I'd let my hand play with your other breast, so it wouldn't feel left out," he assured her. Watching her continue to play with her breasts, he moaned and reached down to palm his erection. "You're so fucking sexy, baby."

She moaned again, her fingers pinching harder. "_Ooh_."

"God, do you know how insanely sexy you look doing that?" he asked, distracted by the way her fingers were now pinching her nipples.

"Oooh _Finn_," she breathed out, her fingers rolling her nipples.

"You're driving me crazy," he choked out as he watched her fingers move to begin playing over her stomach, softly stoking her skin. His eyes followed her fingers back and forth, wondering if she'd dip them lower.

Rachel moaned softly at his words and continued to lightly caress her stomach. She looked at him, noticing his hand had moved down his body. "Are you..." she paused and licked her lips, not really believing she was doing this. "Are you touching yourself too?"

Finn nodded in response, propping up the iPad so she could see what he was doing. "You're just so hot, Rach."

Rachel eyed him touching himself and bit her lip. "I wish I could touch you," she whimpered, her eyes glued to his hand. "And taste too."

Finn's eyes darkened at her words, imagining her lips wrapped around him. "Me too," he told her while increasing his stroking slightly.

"You do?" she asked coyly, one hand still playing with her breasts.

"Yeah," he breathed out. "Friday," he promised as he watched her fingers splay over her stomach. "And I'll touch you, too."

"Where?" she asked, her fingers moving slightly lower.

"Everywhere," he replied lowly. "If it's a body part of yours, I'm touching it and tasting it."

"Really? Even here?" she asked, circling her fingers over her belly button.

"Yup." He stroked himself firmly, watching her fingers move lower.

"What about here?" Her finger trailed along the junction of her torso and leg.

"Fuck yeah. My tongue will be all over that," he replied, his fingers massaging his tip. "Move your hand lower, babe."

"Here?" She moved her hand slightly to the apex of her thighs, caressing her skin lightly.

"Lower," he directed, his tongue darting out over his lips as he watched her follow his direction, her hand slipping between her legs. He groaned as her fingers made contact with her core, grasping his erection a little harder as he pumped.

"_Ooo_," Rachel moaned, her legs shifting and opening just a bit more.

"Open your legs more, baby," Finn murmured huskily as he propped himself up on his elbow, trying to see her better. He continued to stroke his erection slowly as he watched her. "If I was there, you know what I'd be doing?"

She complied, staring at him as she continued to rub herself. "Tell me."

"I'd slip one finger inside, and let my thumb..." His eyes burned into the screen as she followed his words, one delicate finger disappearing inside. "I'll let my thumb," he said again, trying to finish his thought. "Flick over you," he groaned as she followed his instructions. "And then, I'd-" his voice trailed off again as he watched her writhe on the bed.

"_Finn_," she whined, her fingers moving faster, trying to ease the ache between her legs. "I need...oh _God_."

His eyes went wide as she slipped another finger inside herself, her moans increasing. Struck by the sight of her, his words caught in his throat causing him to wait a minute before continuing.

"Just like that," he told her gruffly, watching her back arch as her legs closed tighter together. "I'd slip my fingers into you because I know you'd be _so_ wet and I'd start moving them really quickly inside you."

"More, baby," she moaned breathlessly as her fingers picked up speed. "Tell me more."

"While my fingers are inside you, I'll kiss my way down your neck to your breasts," he continued, his hand gripping his base firmly and squeezing as he watched her hips rock against her hand. "I'll take my time with each breast, giving them the attention they deserve."

"Oh _God_!" she cried as her back arched off the bed at his words, her fingers still moving quickly. "_Finn_!"

"Then I'll kiss down your chest, to your stomach," he continued, his own hand stroking himself faster. "And then I'll kiss lower, my fingers slipping out to hold your hips steady, while my tongue traces over every inch of your core."

"_Ooh_! _Finn!" _Fingers working furiously to find a release, Rachel writhed on the bed, his words setting her on fire. "_God! _I need-"

He sat up more, watching her start to fall apart. "Let go," he urged, wanting to see her come undone. Her eyes closed and her back arched off the bed as the orgasm coursed through her, moaning his name as it overtook her. She collapsed onto the bed, her eyes closed and her body still.

Finn watched her, blown away by how sexy she looked. He pumped his erection a few more times at the sight of her before his face pinched as he reached his own orgasm, moaning her name all the while. "_Ooh! God, Rachel_!"

His breath was ragged as he watched her fingers slow before she withdrew them and brought them up to her lips, sucking them lightly. "So fucking hot," he told her, watching her lips curve slightly at his words.

Her eyes opened and focused back on him, noticing his arousal begin to swell again. She turned on her side as she sucked on her fingers before teasing her nipples. "Mmm. That was fantastic, but I need more and I can see you do too. So what else would you do to me, baby?"

"After I'd finished with my mouth and fingers, I'd sit up and slide inside you," he replied lowly, moving his hand slowly up his length. "Slowly at first."

Her fingers traveled down her body to her core again, resuming their stroking as her breath hitched on a moan. "Slow?"

"Slow," he echoed, wishing he were inside her right now instead of stuck so far away. He watched her writhe, trying to find a position to relieve the tension again, his body getting hard again at the sight. "Baby, you writhing like that would make me move inside you faster after I'd flipped you over onto your hands and knees."

Rachel moaned out his name as she got on her knees and bent forward, her fingers working furiously inside her as she moved. The sight of breasts bouncing in front of him made him grip himself harder, his hand moving faster.

"God _Finn_!" she cried, her breasts bouncing even faster.

"And I'll kiss you again," he murmured, his own stroking increasing. "I'd grip your breasts while I kissed your neck and your lips as I started to move faster."

He watched as Rachel's eyes closed, her hips rocking faster and he knew she was close. She sat up, gripping a breast with one hand before she shifted onto her back again, her fingers working in search of relief.

Hearing her breath catch, he groaned aloud in response, his hand pumping up and down furiously. "You're _so_ sexy, especially when I watch you writhe under me while my thumb rubs you and pushes you to the brink."

"_Finn_!" she screamed again as her thumb began pressing and rubbing on her bundle of nerves. "I'm gonna-"

"Come on baby," he grunted, ready to come himself. He saw her mouth pucker and heard her give out a primal scream before his view suddenly became full of her ceiling as she knocked over her iPad. Just the fact that he'd caught a glimpse of her as she came apart again was enough to bring him over the edge again and he pumped two more times before his release arrived.

"_Fuck_! Rachel!" he growled as he exploded into his hand. Shuddering through his own release, he moaned out her name again on a heavy breath. He reached out towards the nightstand, feeling around for a tissue to clean up with as he called her name again.

"Rach?" He smiled at the iPad as her face filled his screen.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, a blush spreading across her cheek at the fact that she'd tipped over her iPad. "That was-"

"That was seriously hot." He finished for her before he laid back against the headboard, panting slightly as he wiped the light sheen of sweat off his forehead. "You really are the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

She blushed again, still coming down from her high. "You're just saying that."

"I'm not," he said firmly, watching as she lay on her side again, her breasts coming back into view. In spite of the fact that he'd just had a powerful orgasm, he felt himself start to stir down south again at the sight of her breasts. "You have no idea how many times I've done that to your picture."

Her mouth dropped open slightly. "My calendar picture?"

"I told you. _Sexy," _he insisted. "Puck gave me that calendar last January and it was December in my house for the next 12 months._"_

She blushed again. "But still. Some of the other months..."

"Had nothing on yours," he said firmly. "I told you once before that it was the best picture in the calendar. I don't know why you don't believe me. I'm clearly going to have to spend more time sexing you up to make you see."

"Is that right?" she replied with a giggle.

"Yup," he stared at her, wondering if he could convince her to go another round.

"So you're back Friday?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"4pm," he told her easily. "I'll come by right after I land?"

"Yes," Rachel said quickly. "We can get pizza if you want."

Finn returned her grin. "Sounds good."

"I might even have it ready and waiting for you," she added coyly.

"Yeah? Does that include being properly attired for pizza?" he asked.

She smiled. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Feeling more relaxed now, he tossed an arm behind his head as he looked at her, wishing he could cuddle with her. "You know, now's the part where we'd cuddle and you'd fall asleep since you'd be exhausted from-"

"My hard day at practice," she interjected with a smirk. "Oh and the grocery shopping I did after. That's why I'd be exhausted," she teased. "Just like you'd be tired too from all that jet setting to charity functions."

"Watch it baby," he warned. "I told you you're coming to the next one."

She smiled at him and he smiled back, feeling like a teenager all over again. "I'd like that."

"So tell me all about the Show Group announcement yesterday." He settled back, prepared to listen to Rachel give what he was sure would be an excruciatingly detailed recap.

Rachel sat up excitedly. "Well at first I couldn't figure out why Sue was calling an emergency practice but Quinn told me..."

He smiled at her obvious excitement, thrilled and beyond proud at her being chosen as he listen to her narrate the events. His mind began planning how he'd be celebrating this with her Friday night, already determined to have a bouquet of flowers waiting at her door the next morning.

They talked a bit more about their day until he noticed her shiver and attempt to stifle a yawn. "As much as I hate to see you cover up, you should get under the covers baby," he murmured.

She nodded absently and pulled the blankets around her as she snuggled into her pillow, placing the iPad on the pillow next to her. Her eyes grew heavier as she listened to him talk about Puck's reaction to hitting a ball into the woods. The last sound she heard before she fell asleep was his laughter.

He noticed her eyes had closed and her lips had slightly parted as she rested. "Rach?" he whispered. In response she burrowed deeper under the covers and he felt a wave of tenderness wash over him. Climbing under the covers, he moved the iPad so it was on the pillow next to him, making it seem like she was tucked into the bed with him. He smiled at her sleeping form and traced his fingers down her back over the screen before pressing them to his lips and tapping them against the iPad. "Night, baby girl."

Rolling over, he pushed up to a sitting position against the headboard and grabbed his phone off the nightstand, quickly doing a search for a local florist near his home.

"_Thank you for calling Floral Fantasies! My name is Marge, how can I help you today?"_

"Um, I'd like to order some flowers," Finn said, looking back over at the iPad as the woman on the phone began to speak again.

"_Well, you've certainly called the right place. Now, did you have a type of flower in mind?"_

Finn thought back to his first date with Rachel, remembering her surprise at receiving the bouquet of gerbera daisies. "I'd like those big daisies."

"_Gerbera?" Marge asked gently, correctly guessing the name of the flower. "Excellent choice; they're such a happy flower. What color would you like?"_

"Bright pink," he answered automatically.

"_And how many would you like?"_

"Two dozen. Can I get a white rose in there too?"

"_Absolutely!" Marge replied cheerily, busily typing the information into a computer. "We'll make it look lovely with the daisies, roses, and fillers that we add. And when would you like these delivered?"_

"Tomorrow morning, as early as possible," Finn replied, hoping they'd get to Rachel before her performance.

_"We start deliveries at 9." _

"That won't work. I need them there by 7," he replied_._

_"Well we don't normally do that-"_

_"_I'll pay whatever," he cut in quickly. "Just name the price."

_"Whoever's getting these must be pretty special."_

"Yeah. Yeah, she is," he agreed, a smile on his face. "So can you get them there by 7? That's when she's leaving."

_"I'll make sure they're there by 6:45 then," Marge promised_.

"Awesome. I really want her to see them before she goes," he told her, rattling off Rachel's name and address when Marge prompted him.

"_Is this for a special occasion? Would you like to include a card with the flowers?"_

"Yeah, she kinda got promoted, plus she's going to be on TV tomorrow," he replied proudly. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, trying to think of how to say exactly what he wanted to say. "How about 'Rachel-Can't wait to watch you this morning! Good luck. Finn."

_Marge repeated the information back to him. "Is that what you want it to say_?"

Finn hesitated, not liking the way the words had sounded. "No. Um, let's try 'Rach-Sorry I can't be there today but I know you'll do great. Knock em dead-F."

Again Marge repeated the information back to him and he winced. "That doesn't sound right either."

"_What if we combined them?" Marge suggested._

Finn sat up a little straighter, liking that idea. "How about, 'Dee- Can't wait to see you on my screen. I know you'll do great. Knock em dead. F."

"_Dee?" Marge repeated after reading the card back to him. "Not Rachel?"_

"It's my nickname for her," Finn explained fondly. "Oh! Can you add one more thing?"

"_Of course."_

Finn once again glanced at Rachel's sleeping form on the iPad screen as he spoke. "You deserve this."

_Marge read the card through again. "Is that what you'd like?"_

"What do you think?" he asked. "Does that sound ok?"

"_I think it's very sweet," Marge responded. "I'm sure she'll love them-I know I always love when my husband sends me flowers."_

"We're not married," he replied, though the idea wasn't an unappealing one. "We're dating."

"_She'll love them," she repeated before asking for Finn's billing information._

Finn gave her his credit card information and thanked her for her help before hanging up, reassured by her promise that the flowers would be there before Rachel had to leave for the show. He placed his phone back on the nightstand and scooted back under the covers, his head resting on the pillow as he faced his iPad.

He left the screen on so she was the last thing he saw as he drifted into sleep.

* * *

Rereading the thank you text Rachel had sent him for the flowers, Finn settled back against the headboard of the bed while he debated sending her another good luck text, deciding against it when he noticed it was 7:55 and she probably wouldn't see it before she performed.

He turned on the TV and flipped through the stations to find which station was showing AM New York, tossing the remote to the side and picking up his phone again when Rod Remington's face came on the screen. Half listening to Rod to make sure he didn't miss the performance, he scrolled through some pictures of Rachel on his phone, only closing them and opening his Star Wars Angry Bird app when he heard the toilet flush moments before the door to the bathroom opened.

Puck exited the bathroom, scratching his stomach as he walked. "Alright, the kids have been dropped off at the pool, so I'm ready to head down to the team breakfast. You ready?"

"You go ahead, I'll be down later," Finn said, lifting his eyes from the screen of his phone to check and make sure Rachel wasn't on yet.

Puck glanced at the TV before flopping down on the other bed in the room. "I'll wait."

"It's fine, you can go ahead," Finn insisted, not looking up from his phone as he cleared another level of his game. "I just want to see Rachel perform on AM New York, then I'll be down."

"I don't mind watching AM New York for a bit," Puck replied as he laced his fingers behind his head and got comfortable on the bed.

"What are you talking about? You hate Rod Remington-said he was a sleazeball has been, remember?"

"He's in tight with Sandy, so I have to be nice to him now. Plus, the Crew's dancing to Journey this morning on the show, so I don't mind watching, if only to block you from jerking off to AM New York. And I can tell you all about TMZ interviewing me last night with Anna."

"How do you know the Crew's dancing to Journey?" Finn asked, ignoring his other comments as he looked over at Puck.

Puck rolled his eyes in response. "They always go on before the season starts-kind of a kick off thing. It's tradition."

Finn eyed him curiously, not quite believing Puck but deciding to wait and see what song the Crew performed to before pushing the issue. "You really got interviewed by TMZ?"

"Yup and if your lame ass hadn't been cuddled up in bed with your iPad you could have been interviewed too. Must have been some good porn you were watching with the way you were hugging that thing," Puck snorted.

"I wasn't watching porn," Finn denied hotly. "I was talking to Rachel." He looked at the TV and reached for the remote to turn up the volume as he noticed Rachel, Quinn and Brittany standing behind Rod. "Now shut up, I want to watch."

Puck sat up a bit straighter as Rod introduced the girls, smirking as _Don't Stop Believing_ began to play. "See? Told you-"

"Dude, shut up," Finn shot back as he tossed a pillow at Puck, his eyes never leaving Rachel as she performed. He grinned as he watched her dance, wondering if he'd be able to get a private performance of this routine when he got home. His grin faded as the song ended and Rod rejoined the trio of girls, insinuating himself between Quinn and Rachel as he began to interview them. The muscle in his jaw twitched as he watched Rod wrap his arm around Rachel and Quinn's waists, pulling them even closer to his side.

"Watch the hand man," he muttered even though Rod clearly couldn't hear him. He glanced over at Puck, who was clutching the pillow he'd thrown at him in his hands.

"Relax man," Puck said as he watched Quinn nudge Rod discreetly with her elbow to put some distance between them before responding to his statement.

_"Wow ladies, that was fantastic!" He continued to hold Rachel and Quinn by the waist as he addressed the camera. "And I love the use of that song; I'm a huge Journey fan. I toured with them back in 83, partying with them from LA to New York. I bet that will be a crowd pleaser."_

"Look at that perv, holding Rachel 's waist!" he cried, watching Rod's hand to see if it moved lower.

"_Well that was an exclusive performance for AM New York; you'll have to come to the games to see our other routines." Quinn said with a light laugh._

"He's always like that. Rachel just needs to deflect it," Puck replied. "You don't see Quinn getting fondled."

_"Well those moves were certainly something," Rod said, while looking down at Rachel who suddenly lifted her pompoms to her chest. "They must be so hard to learn."_

Not bothering to answer, Finn watched intently as Rachel moved her pompoms to her chest before replying.

_"Well we do work hard to learn the routines, but it's so fun and it's worth it for the fans."_

_"Well as a long time fan, I can tell you we sure do appreciate it," Rod said with a laugh. "I bet the fans would rather have a peek into your practices and locker room instead of the player's locker room."_

"You're right," Finn said tightly, not enjoying Rod's implications about wanting to go inside the Crew's locker room. "This guy's a douche."

"Told you," Puck replied, trying to listen as Rod carried on about the Crew's calendar.

"_I can personally say I don't think I've ever enjoyed a year more since 85 when I partied the year away with Springsteen. I'm looking forward to seeing next year's calendar-any hints on what the theme for that is ladies?" he questioned while imperceptibly dropping his hand to cup Rachel's ass._

"Whoa! Is he groping her?" Finn cried, furious at the thought. "Is his hand where I think it is?"

"Shut up! I want to hear what the theme is," Puck ordered.

"_Actually, it's a beach theme next year Rod," Quinn explained with a smile. "We'll be shooting on location."_

"Nice. Hope they do some waterfall shots," Puck mused. "Those are always hot."

"What do you care?" Fin asked, already picturing Rachel posed sexily on a beach.

"What? Unlike you, who uses it to jerk off to, I actually hang the calendar," Puck defended.

"I bet you do." Finn narrowed his eyes in suspicion before turning back to the TV.

"_Sounds hot, hot, hot," Rod laughed, looking at Rachel. "I'm sure you ladies will all be making an appearance in the calendar again?" _

"_We haven't heard who'll be featured next time," Rachel said while trying to shift discreetly away from Rod's wandering hand._

"Ok, seriously, hand check asshole," Finn growled at the TV as Rod began talking about how difficult it must be for the fans to restrain themselves around the girls.

_"I bet your boyfriends have gotten into their share of fights trying to ward off our admirers," he commented, holding Rachel close to him_.

_Rachel smiled at the camera again before releasing a small gasp as Rod patted her ass._

_"They understand that we're really there to cheer the players on and keep the fans into the action," Quinn jumped in, noticing Rachel's discomfort._

"Damn right she's there for me," Finn muttered.

_"And cheer them on you do," he quipped, discreetly patting Rachel on the ass. Ignoring her gasp he continued. "I'm sure it makes them play better. I have to say, if what we've seen from this preseason holds up for the regular season, we're in for a great run, ladies. That new wide receiver has certainly been playing well, don't you think so Rachel?"_

Finn glared at the TV as Quinn responded, effectively cutting off Rachel's response.

"_All the players are doing just great this year Rod. I think the team has a great shot this year."_

_"Well I've got my tickets for Opening Day, ready to watch you ladies cheer," Rod announced. "Don't go anywhere folks. we've got everything you need to know about tailgating food up next."_

Puck stood up as the interview concluded, pleased to have gotten to watch Quinn and already planning to _accidentally_ spill his Gatorade on Rod when Sandy brought him down on the field before the game like he frequently did with celebrities. "Alright man, show's over. Let's get some grub before Karofsky and his goons eat everything."

"You go ahead," Finn replied, already reaching for his phone. "I'll be there in five minutes."

Deciding to use the chance to text Quinn, Puck agreed and headed for the door. "Fine. Just make sure you throw all the tissues out this time. I gagged when I found one on the floor this morning."

Finn flipped Puck off with his free hand, his phone already at his ear as he waited to her hear voice in his ear.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey baby," Finn replied as he stretched out on the hotel bed and pressed the phone closer to his ear while he muted the TV. "You were fantastic!"

_"You really think so?" _

"I know so," he said firmly. "I couldn't take my eyes off you."

"_Quinn and Brittany were dancing too."_

"Were they? I didn't notice," he replied, his eyes flicking back to the TV for a moment.

_"Did you like the song?"_

"Loved it," he replied, smiling at the eagerness in her voice. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you were dancing to Journey; you totally were the best one up there."

"_I doubt that. Brittany's danced for Beyonce."_

"Trust me babe, I noticed and obviously Rod did too." He opened the nightstand drawer and looked at the picture of her in her Miss December costume that he'd taken on the trip. "Sue know he was a Journey fan when she picked it?"

_"Probably, but it wasn't her suggestion. I wanted to do it."_

"Oh yeah?" he questioned, his voice perking up. "So the AM New York song isn't always a Journey song?"

"_Nope. Last year it was Party Rock Anthem. Why?"_

"Puck mentioned something about it this morning."

"_Oh. I don't know how he knew we were doing Journey. I suggested the song to Sue; she wanted a new routine."_

"And you picked that song? Why's that?"

_"It made me think of you-especially since you're in Miami right now."_

"You going to show me it again when I come home?" he said teasingly. "I'd love to have a private encore performance."

"_Well the performance did go well I think. Rod wanted us to stay the whole show!_"

"I bet he did," Finn replied sarcastically, even though he could tell Rachel was excited. "He must've not gotten in all the groping he wanted in that segment." He glared at the image of Rod on the screen, now with Bobby Flay, before turning off the TV. "I'm surprised he didn't want you to autograph his chest."

"_The only chest I'm autographing is yours. I think there's a few spots I haven't signed yet."_

"Yeah? You gonna autograph it tomorrow?" Finn asked with a grin.

_"Maybe I will, maybe I won't."_

He opened his mouth to reply, ready to ask if his autographs still showed when he heard her stammer to someone else.

"_What? Oh, I'm just talking to my friend, um Dolly! She's in Miami on um...business!"_

He shook his head at her explanation, wondering how she'd come up with Dolly. Ignoring her directive to wait, he chuckled. "So I'm Dolly? You couldn't think of anything more masculine?"

"_Shut up, I was walking past the camera dollies. If you want that autograph, you'd better keep quiet, Dolly."_

"Does that autograph come with a dance?" he asked hopefully.

"_Maybe. If I feel like it. I might be too tired or something."_

"Please Dee?" he said, the nickname slipping out making him frown as he remembered something else about her TV performance.

"_Well-"_

"That dude was really into calling you Miss December. That going to be your month again?" He tried to ask it casually, but a hint of jealousy at someone else enjoying her picture crept into his voice. He stared at the picture in his hand, wondering how many other guys were doing the same thing.

_"I don't know. I might not even be in it."_

"They wouldn't leave the hottest girl on the crew out baby," he told her with a sigh, his eyes glued to her picture.

"_I'm not-"_

"_Rachel_. I know what you're going to say and it's not true," Finn cut in, correctly predicting her statement. "Besides, doesn't matter what month you are, it'll be that month all year in my house."

_"I have to go, Sue's waiting."_

"Ok baby girl, I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he closed the nightstand drawer and stood up. "We land at 4 so I'll be at your apartment at 4:05."

_"I'll be waiting_."

"You really were amazing," he repeated with a smile.

_"Thank you. Good luck tonight-I'll be watching."_

"Awesome. You better go. Bye baby," he said, waiting for her reply before hanging up.

_"Bye. Stay safe tonight."_

Finn looked at her picture on his phone one last time as he hung up, wishing more than ever that she were in Miami to watch him play.

4:05 on Friday couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

**A/N: A friend on twitter jokingly coined Tuesday as #TiggerTuesday…never thought I'd get to post on one but there you go:) I swear the next update won't take as long as this did to post-life kind of got crazy this past month. As usual a huge thanks to mida212! Thanks so much for reading and please feel free to review! **


	12. The Girlfriend Game

**Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine :(**

* * *

Rachel looked at the storefront before her uncertain of whether or not she actually wanted to go inside. "Are you sure about this Quinn? I mean, I don't think he'll notice the shoes I'm wearing-"

Quinn shook her head and grabbed Rachel's hand, pulling her inside the Frederick's of Hollywood store. "Yes, trust me I'm sure about this." She rolled her eyes as she continued. "It's painfully obvious you've never had any fuck me shoes but take my word for it- Finn will definitely appreciate this." She dropped Rachel's hand and made her way to the back of the store where the shoes were displayed, leaving Rachel to trail behind her.

Rachel straightened her shoulders and followed Quinn further into the store, her head turning at some of the lingerie on display before responding. There were so many items in the store that she couldn't help but stare. She stopped at what appeared to be little more than a scrap of black lace and a pair of panties that wouldn't even come close to covering anything and touched the material, idly wondering what Finn's reaction would be to something like that. The thought caused her to blush and smile until she heard her name being called from a few feet away and she looked up to find Quinn smirking at her. "What?" she asked, quickly stepping away from the clothes rack and moving over to Quinn.

"Nothing," Quinn said with fake innocence. "Just thought we were here for the shoes but if you want to look at the lingerie too…" she allowed her voice to trail off as she smiled.

"No!" Rachel said while shaking her head and holding out her pink bag from Victoria's Secret. "I bought quite enough lingerie today."

"Rachel, I hardly think two sets of bras and panties and two baby dolls is enough lingerie," Quinn told her with a shake of her head. "And I still can't believe you bought that polka dotted baby doll."

"It was cute!" Rachel exclaimed, feeling the urge to defend her choice of lingerie. "Besides, I bought that pink one you wanted me to get so stop complaining about what I picked!"

"Fine, but can we not talk about the polka dots again?" Quinn asked, looking back over at the teddy Rachel had been examining. "I think you should get that though."

Rachel shook her head again. "I can't imagine anyone really wearing that, especially someone who looks like me. I'd never be able to pull that off."

"Fortunately, that's Finn's job," Quinn quipped.

"Quinn! I meant that it wouldn't look good on me," Rachel clarified, her mind already picturing him yanking her lingerie off.

"Rachel, for the minute you'll have it on, Finn won't be critiquing it. Trust me."

"Wait. Does that mean you own something like this?" Rachel cried, staring at the scraps of lingerie.

"I have it in red," Quinn said, grinning at the memory of when she'd worn it for Puck. "And Rach? I think it would drive Finn crazy to see you in something like that."

"He thinks the lingerie I have is sexy, for your information." Rachel smiled, remembering his reaction to her yellow polka dotted bra and panties. "He said the fact that I'm wearing it makes it even hotter."

Quinn eyed the shoes on the shelf in front of her. "If he thought that stuff was sexy just wait until he sees what you bought today. Now, onto why we're really here. The fuck me shoes."

Rachel's cheeks tinged pink. "Can you lower your voice?" Her mind then registered what Quinn had said about the lingerie, gesturing to the barely there teddy behind her with a whisper. "Wait. Did you say you had that?"

Quinn winked at her. "Uh huh. Works like a charm every time."

"Every time?" Rachel asked quickly. She knew Quinn was a flirt but it never occurred to her that Quinn shopped in places like this-after all they'd shopped together at Target for lingerie in the past. "Wait, why do you have that?"

"Rachel. We're in a lingerie store; the point of pretty much everything in here is to lead to sex."

"Is this your way of telling me you're dating, Q?" Rachel asked as she looked at Quinn quizzically. "Do you own fuck me shoes?"

"Never said I was dating, Rach but I've dated in the past you know," she replied making air quotes around the word dated. "And as for the fuck me shoes, I have several pairs."

"What?" Rachel cried. "How did I not know that?"

"How else do you think I know they work so well?" she asked. "Trust me, when he sees you wearing the shoes and lingerie like that," she pointed to the barely there teddy. "Well, it'll be a really fun night for you."

"I'm wearing them with the lingerie?" Rachel demanded. "Not with a nice dress?"

"Or you can wear just the shoes," Quinn commented. "That's even more fun."

"Who are you wearing just the shoes for?" Rachel cried.

"We're not here for me." She shook her head as she pulled down a box of shoes, ready to switch the subject back to Rachel. "You know, I find it funny that you'll fuck Finn on a table but can't shop in a lingerie store."

Rachel snatched the box from her hand. "I told you it was the heat of the moment!" Her blush intensified as she thought of what Quinn's reaction would be if she knew of all the other places they'd had sex, including their own locker room. She pulled the shoes out of the box and held them up, eyeing them critically. "This is a fuck me shoe?"

Quinn nodded emphatically as she eyed the black patent leather stiletto. "It's an option. Try them on, walk around a bit."

Rachel did as directed, slipping her own shoes off and stepping into the stilettos. She walked up and down the aisle, unaware of how the shoes emphasized the length of her legs and put an extra sway in her hips. "Well?" she asked Quinn as she executed a runway style turn.

"Hmm, those are ok. Try these," Quinn suggested as she held up another pair, this time white with lots of crisscrossing straps.

Rachel looked at them and laughed. "They're like gladiator shoes Quinn, that's not my style."

"I didn't realize you had a style of fuck me shoes Rach," Quinn said innocently.

Caught, Rachel gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine." She changed the shoes and again walked the aisleway in them. "I don't think these are me."

Quinn cocked her head to the side. "True," she conceded. They rejected a few more pairs before Quinn's eyes scanned the shelves again, lighting up when she saw a certain pair. "Try these," she said after locating the proper box.

Rachel stared at the black patent leather stilettos in the box. They had a bit of a platform but also had an ankle strap studded with rhinestones. "Ok," she breathed out, quickly stepping out of the gladiator style shoes to slip into the next pair. The second she fastened the ankle strap she knew these were the shoes she was going to buy. She walked up and down the aisle feeling sexy and excited at the thought of Finn seeing her in them. "These are the ones."

Quinn nodded her head at Rachel. "They're perfect; he won't know what hit him. Now take them off."

Reluctantly, Rachel slipped out of the shoes and back into her own. She started to make her way to the register as Quinn called out behind her.

"Hey, you sure you don't want to look around a bit more? I mean, I know you're set with the shoes, but maybe you want to consider something like this?" She held up a sheer black baby doll that was held together by crisscrossing pieces of fabric up both sides. She had a similar one in green and Puck just loved it.

Rachel shook her head no and continued to walk towards the register. Again, Quinn called out behind her.

"What about this?" Quinn asked with a giggle. She was holding up a corset style top that was designed to push up the breasts of whoever was wearing it instead of hold them in.

"Gee, you have that too?" Rachel quipped as she changed paths and made her way over to Quinn.

"No," Quinn denied, setting the corset back down. "Come on, I really think you should buy one thing here-just one and I'll leave you alone."

"I am buying one thing, the shoes remember?" Rachel said as she held up the box.

"Lingerie. You need more," Quinn insisted, looking around the store again. Her eyes fell on a blue baby doll trimmed in black on the rack next to her. "What about this?" She asked, holding up the baby doll.

Rachel looked it over, her hand automatically reaching out to finger the satin ruffle parting the material in the front, causing the sheer fabric to fly away from the front clasp and bare her stomach. She bit her lip as she took in the sheer back of the lingerie and moved her gaze to the miniscule ruffled panties, complete with a bow in the front. "I don't know, you think it would look ok on me?"

Moving in for the kill, Quinn nodded. "If purple lace got you a sex session on your kitchen table just imagine what this would do."

A slow smile moved across Rachel's face as she thought about Quinn's words. "I'll take it," she said, snatching it out of Quinn's hands and marching towards the cash register.

"Did you find everything ok?" The saleswoman asked.

"Yes, we found everything just fine." Rachel pulled out her credit card, ready to pay and get out of the store before Quinn could talk her into anything else. She tapped the card against the counter while she watched the saleswoman slip the shoes in a black bag.

Quinn made her way over to the counter, mentally noting a few pieces she wouldn't mind adding to her own collection. She slung her arm around Rachel's shoulder, wiping away an imaginary tear. "This is a proud moment Rach. My baby's all grown up."

"Stop it," Rachel said with a chuckle as she turned to watch the traffic flow outside the store. Her face paled as she recognized a man slowly walking by. "Shit," she mumbled, hoping he hadn't seen her.

"What?" Quinn asked, idly examining some accessories near the counter.

"We need to hurry up." She began drumming her fingers on the counter as she waited for the receipt to print.

"What's the rush? He's not even home." Quinn gave Rachel a puzzled look as she toyed with the displays on the counter.

"His brother is outside," Rachel hissed just as she heard her name being said in disbelief.

"Rachel?" Kurt said, taking a few steps into the store. "I thought that was you."

Rachel fixed a smile on her face as she turned to face him. "Hi Kurt! What are you doing here?" she shook her head no to the cashier as the woman slipped her the receipt to sign.

"I was exchanging some throw pillows for Carole," he replied, holding up a Macy's bag while looking around at the various displays. "God, this place is like an adolescent boy's wet dream. Puck and Finn used to drool over the catalogue."

"Did they?" Rachel asked, noticing Quinn also looked interested at this information.

He shuddered at the memory. "God yes. They'd get so stupid after Puck stole the catalogue from his Aunt's mail each month. I guess this must be where the stripper's get their shoes," he said gesturing to the wall of shoes.

Rachel gave a nervous laugh. "I know; it's awful right?"

"Why women think this is attractive is beyond me. I mean this polyester nonsense is just hideous," Kurt quipped before looking at her again. "What are you doing here?"

Rachel froze and looked at Quinn for help, "Umm…"

"We're here returning a gift someone gave Rachel as a joke," Quinn lied smoothly. Trying to buy Rachel a little more time she offered her hand. "I'm Quinn Fabray by the way."

While Kurt was shaking her hand Rachel quickly scribbled her signature. The clerk tried to hand her the bag but Rachel shook her head.

"Kurt Hummel," he eyed Quinn, recognizing her from the game. "Someone gave you a gift from this place Rachel? How atrocious."

Quinn gestured to a nearby rack, hoping to distract him enough that Rachel would be able to explain to the clerk. "Yeah, it was one of those," she said haphazardly pointing to a bra with cutouts for the nipples.

Kurt shuddered in obvious horror. "Oh that's just hideous. Subtly is so much sexier wouldn't you agree, Quinn?"

Rachel took the moment to quickly explain to the clerk that she'd pick them up her purchase later, not willing to carry a bag from there while Kurt was around. She walked over to join Kurt and Quinn who were discussing the merits of the lingerie. "All set!" she said a little too brightly.

"Thank God, I feel like I need to go home and take a shower to get clean and I don't even like this stuff." Kurt said as he walked to the front of the store.

Quinn ducked her head to hide her chuckle. Of course the first time Rachel goes in an adult shop like this she has to run into Finn's brother. Playing along she said, "I don't know if it was all bad Kurt, right Rachel?"

Rachel gave her a glare as she blushed. "You said you were exchanging stuff for Carole?"

Kurt happily changed topics. "Yes, just some throw pillows for the couch. The color wasn't quite right."

"That's nice of you," Rachel smiled. "I'm sure she appreciates it."

"Oh it'll give me something to fuss with when we watch the game tonight," Kurt explained. "My dad's out of town so I promised Carole I'd come watch with her. "

"We'll be watching the game too," Rachel said excitedly.

"Yeah, you should join us," Quinn added, sensing an opportunity to learn a little more about Finn other than where he and Rachel had had sex.

"Really? I wouldn't want to intrude."

Rachel stared at Quinn in disbelief before jumping in. "Of course! It'll be fun!"

"Carole can get a little intense," Kurt warned as they approached the exit to the mall.

"So can Rachel," Quinn said on a laugh. "So you'll come?"

Kurt looked between the two and smiled. "Sure! Oh, maybe I could get your autograph Quinn? My dad's a huge fan and since Finn won't let him have Rachel's, I know he'd _love_ to have yours."

"Sure-I can give you one tonight," Quinn agreed. "So we'll see you at seven?" she asked with a smile, pausing at the mall exit.

"Can't wait-I just need to get your address Rachel," Kurt replied, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Rachel licked her lips nervously before stammering out her address. "You sure Carole won't mind not watching at home?"

Kurt patted her arm. "I'm sure she'll be _thrilled_ to watch with you!"

"Great," Rachel said with a smile. "So we'll see you at seven?"

"Perfect," Kurt nodded. "Nice meeting you Quinn, see you both later," he said with a wave before heading off to his car.

"Bye," Quinn said cheerily, following him out the door.

Rachel's hand shot out and landed on Quinn's arm, effectively stopping her from walking out. "Quinn! What was that?"

"What? I just thought they'd be watching the game, we'd be watching the game," she said slyly. "And if I got a little more info about Finn, well where's the harm?"

Looking to the left, Rachel observed Kurt climbing into his car. "I'm not prepared to host!" Her mind began to race as she thought of everything she'd need to host a football viewing party. "You get the car. I'm going to get my shoes then we're hitting the food store-"

"Rachel, I'm sure whatever you have for the two of us is-"

"Just get the car," Rachel repeated, turning on her heel and marching back to Frederick's.

She had a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.

* * *

Having spent the past three hours decorating the apartment between bouts of baking and texting Finn, Rachel paced in the living room, mumbling to herself as she went through her mental checklist of things she'd wanted to do.

"Rachel, you need to calm down," Quinn laughed, setting her autographed picture for Kurt on the table. "It's not like you haven't spent time with his mom before."

"I know but Finn was there then," Rachel explained as she looked over the room to see if she'd forgotten to put anything out. Her eyes landed on a bowl of green and white M&M's and she bit her lip. "Are the M&M's too much?"

Looking around the room that was now decked out with Jets memorabilia, Quinn rolled her eyes. "They're fine." She reached out to grab a few of the M&M's and yelped when Rachel slapped her hand.

"Those are for the guests! What about my edible stadium?" Rachel asked, nibbling on her lip as she gestured to the coffee table where she'd set out a tray laden with guacamole surrounded with chips and crackers. She'd drawn lines across it with sour cream to simulate the field and had decorated the end zones with tomatoes.

"It's great," Quinn soothed. "Now why don't you sit down?"

Rachel's phone beeped and she picked it up, seeing it was an alert that Finn had tweeted. She smiled and clicked on her twitter app, immediately retweeting his _Game time_! tweet before adding one of her own.

Quinn peeked over at Rachel's phone. "You're so lame."

"Jealous?"

"Nope," Quinn replied, picking up her own phone and retweeting Puck's latest tweet.

Rachel's brow furrowed as she saw Quinn's retweet appear on her timeline. "You follow Noah?"

"Hmm? I follow a lot of the players, but of course I follow the captain. It's like a rule."

"Oh," Rachel nodded, her door buzzer preventing her from asking any other questions. "They're here!"

"So let them up," Quinn laughed. "I'll turn on the game."

Rachel stood up, smoothing her hands over her Jets jersey as she crossed to the door and opened it with a bright smile. "Hi! Come on in," she said, stepping back to allow Kurt and Carole to enter.

"Rachel, thank you so much for having us," Carole said, immediately giving Rachel a hug as Kurt said hello.

"The more the merrier," Rachel smiled, leading them into the living room. "Carole, this is my friend Quinn, Quinn this is Finn's mom Carole."

"Pleased to meet you," Quinn said as she stood up to shake Carole's hand before sitting back down.

"Likewise."

"And obviously you remember Kurt," Rachel said with a tight smile.

"Of course."

Kurt moved to the couch, claiming the cushion next to where Quinn was sitting. "Hello again."

"Can I get anyone anything to drink? I have water, tea, coffee, soda-"

"Water sounds good right now," Carole smiled at Rachel.

"Me too," Kurt chimed in.

"Great," Rachel said before heading to the kitchen, not bothering to wait for what Quinn wanted. She grabbed bottles of water from the fridge and some cups and went back into the living room.

"Your apartment is adorable Rachel," Carole said. "I love all the decorations!

"Thanks," Rachel beamed as she handed Carole her water, pleased she liked how the apartment looked. She glanced over at the TV, her smile growing wider as she saw the camera pan over the Jets players stretching and warming up on the field. "Oh there's Finn!" she cried excitedly as the camera focused on Finn and Puck talking as the warmed up. She tuned out the voices of the announcers talking about Finn's stats from Cincinnati and instead focused on his face, smiling foolishly at the TV. "You know, Carole I see a lot of you in Finn," she commented, her eyes still trained on the screen. Watching as he stood to his full height she turned to face Carole. "Except his height-is that from his dad?"

Carole nodded. "Finn definitely gets his height from Christopher; his smile too."

"Unfortunately, his hair style came from being obsessed with Jimmy Neutron growing up," Kurt piped in. "I've tried to get him to change it for _years, _but he insists on keeping it like that."

"I like his hair how it is," Rachel said, wishing she could run her hands through it right now.

"Besides, it's a million times better than Noah's."

"Don't even get me started on that one Rachel," Kurt lamented dramatically. "He claims it's his good luck charm. I told him to buy a rabbit's foot instead of having a skunk on his head for a hairstyle but he won't do it."

"He used to have the most adorable side part in elementary school," Carole added.

"Puck had a side part?" Quinn said in disbelief, taking her eyes away from the TV to look at Carole.

"He did," she nodded. "But he shaved it in junior high and hasn't changed it since. Oh look, Finn and Noah are doing the coin toss!"

The four of them watched as the coin was tossed, the Jets winning the toss and opting to kick rather than receive. The Dolphins went three and out quickly, and Rachel perched on the edge of her seat after Mike ran the ball back to the 30 yard line. Rachel clapped her hands together as the offensive line was introduced and waited anxiously for their drive to begin. The camera panned the crowd again, displaying a large number of Jets fans at the game. "Your dad is at the game right Carole?" Rachel asked, waiting for Puck to call out the play.

"He is; I think Finn got him tickets on the fifty yard line like he got us."

"Your tickets are on the fifty yard line? My dads are on the near there too since Sue rotates our end zones, it was hard to pick a good section for them." She watched as Puck threw the ball to Finn for their opening play, and Finn took off like a rocket, weaving through the Dolphin's defense and scoring on the first play. The three women jumped up and cheered, high fiving one another as Kurt sat on his end of the couch.

"And he didn't even run into anyone when he scored," Quinn teased, poking her finger into Rachel's side as they sat back down.

"No, but he's still doing that stupid attempt of a dance," Kurt muttered with a roll of his eyes as Finn began to do his signature dance.

"I like his dance," Rachel replied with a shrug.

"You do? Why?" Kurt asked in horror.

"I think it's adorable," she defended with a smile.

"It is," Carole agreed.

"You have to say that-you're his mom," Kurt said with an eye roll.

"Some of those moves are from when he was in the boy band right?" Carole asked, swirling a chip in the guacamole.

"Boy band?" Rachel and Quinn said together, the game forgotten on the TV beside them.

"Well, I don't know if boy band is the right word-"

"Puck and Finn were in a group with three of our teachers actually," Kurt clarified. "They called themselves Accafellas."

"Seriously?" Quinn laughed outright at the thought.

"They made a CD-I have it somewhere," Carole told them.

"I'll buy it off you," Quinn announced before turning back to the TV.

Rachel stared at her, wondering why Quinn was interested in a CD of Finn and Noah. "What did they sing?" she asked.

"Well, I distinctly remember _I Wanna Sex You Up,_" Kurt shuddered. "It was awful watching Puck try to teach Finn how to body roll."

"I'm sure it was not awful," Rachel defended automatically, leaning over Quinn to face Kurt. "I'm sure it was-hey!" she cried out as Quinn pushed her head back.

"Sorry, but I can't see," Quinn apologized absently. "Puckerman's down," she frowned, intently watching the replay of Puck getting sacked.

Rachel's head turned towards the screen before looking back at Quinn, noticing the intensity of her gaze. "I'm sure he's fine," she replied automatically while looking back to the TV and waiting for Noah to stand back up. "He's probably staying down so they don't have to burn a time out or something."

"Maybe," Quinn murmured, eyes glued to the screen until Puck stood up. Breathing a sigh of relief as he got back on the line, she watched the next play, trying to make sure he was ok. When they were shut down by the defense, she reentered the conversation. "So what else did Finn and Puckerman do growing up?"

Carole regaled them with stories, Kurt occasionally adding his opinion throughout the next quarter, causing Quinn and Rachel to laugh hysterically. As they hit half time, Rachel picked up the remote, assuming nobody would want to listen to the halftime reporters. She pressed the guide and noticed _Dirty Dancing _was currently playing. She switched over to the movie and gasped as Quinn snatched the remote from her hand, turning it back to the halftime report.

"They might talk about Finn you know," Quinn said, not willing to admit she'd heard the name Puckerman and wanted to hear what the reporters had to say. By the time the station flipped, the reporters were no longer talking about Puck but were in fact talking about Finn.

The game resumed and they watched as Coach Schue pulled the starters after the first drive of the third quarter. "Oh, they're done for today?" Rachel questioned, immediately wondering if she should text Finn. Remembering at the last moment that he wouldn't have his phone on the sideline, she decided against it.

"Right," Carole nodded. "They don't want any injuries-but I watch anyway to make sure those other players don't run into Finn."

"You know he has pads on and gear and whatnot to protect himself right?" Kurt asked dryly.

"He can still get hurt you know," Rachel declared. "I've seen the bruises-" she blurted out, stopping herself as she realized what she was saying in front of Carole. "I mean-"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Kurt said with another eye roll. "Do we really have to watch if he's not playing?"

"Yes," Quinn insisted.

"Sometimes they do sideline interviews you know," Carole reminded him. "So I want to see if they talk to Finn, or Noah for that matter."

They chatted throughout the remainder of the game, only pausing their conversation when Amy Andrews, a correspondent for ESPN, began to interview Puck on the sidelines during the fourth quarter.

"I can't stand her," Quinn muttered under her breath.

"What'd you say?" Rachel asked, turning to face Quinn.

"I can't stand her," Quinn repeated, her attention riveted to the screen. "She's such a flirt-she's always touching the guys when she talks to them. See how she's holding Puck's arm?"

Rachel looked back at the TV. "Kind of like the female Rod Remington?"

"Something like that," Quinn mumbled.

The group listened avidly as Puck praised the efforts of the team, talking about how great both the offensive line and the defensive line were as the clock wound down, sealing a Jets victory. Rachel and Carole high fived enthusiastically as the cheered in celebration of the team's win.

"It's over?" Kurt questioned.

"Yes," Carole said, smiling as she saw Rachel reaching for her phone. "And while this has been incredibly fun, I think we should be getting home Kurt."

"You can stay for the postgame," Rachel offered. "Maybe they'll talk about Finn."

"That's ok," Carole replied with a shake of her head. "We really should go, you two probably have practice tomorrow."

"We do," Quinn agreed as she stood up and stretched, her own phone in hand. "Bright and early, we were lucky to get today off since Sue said we performed so well this morning."

"Oh you did-I meant to tell you that earlier!" Carole gushed. "I love _Don't Stop Believing_. Finn and I used to listen to Journey all the time when he was growing up."

"Rachel picked the song," Quinn smiled.

"You did?" Carole asked, smiling when Rachel nodded. "Well I can't wait to see your routines next week at the home opener," Carole said warmly. "I'm sure they'll be fantastic."

"Hopefully," Rachel quipped, her fingers crossed as she walked Kurt and Carole to the door. She hugged them each in turn, waiting for Quinn to say goodbye as well. Turning to see what Quinn was doing, Rachel frowned as she noticed her texting away. "Quinn, Carole and Kurt are leaving."

"Oh!" Quinn exclaimed, picking up her picture before walking to join the group at the door.

"Didn't you want this for your dad?" she asked before handing Kurt his requested picture.

"He'll love it," Kurt grinned, taking the picture while Carole nodded. Impulsively he hugged Quinn in thanks before hugging Rachel. "Thanks for having us."

"Thanks for the stories," Quinn said before nodding at Carole. "They were great." Her phone buzzed in her hand and she looked down and smiled before quickly. "Really nice to have met you both," she said before moving back into the living room, her eyes glued to her phone.

"You too," Carole said quickly before turning back to Rachel and giving her a hug. "We'll see you later, thanks again."

Rachel returned the hug murmuring, "Anytime," with a smile. She closed the door behind them and looked back at her phone, seeing a text from Finn talking about having to wait at the stadium for Puck to finish up a postgame interview. She moved back to the couch, sitting next to Quinn as she told him how well he'd played and how well things had gone at the apartment. She stared at her phone, waiting for a response.

"That was fun," Quinn said, scooping up another chipful of guacamole.

"It went well," Rachel agreed, still staring at her phone. She checked her messages to make sure her last text had gone through, pursing her lips when she saw it had.

"Waiting on Finn? He's probably listening to Puck get interviewed," Quinn told her as she checked her own phone to see if Puck was done yet.

Just after Quinn finished speaking, Rachel's phone beeped with an incoming text, moments before Quinn's did. Not even checking her phone, Rachel looked at Quinn suspiciously. "Who's texting you now?"

"Sue," Quinn lied smoothly, standing up as she reread Puck's message. "I need to go call her back."

"You can call from here," Rachel told her, standing up as she continued to stare at Quinn.

"No, I'll just call and then head to bed," Quinn replied as she faked a yawn. "Early practice and all. I'll just let myself out."

Rachel followed Quinn to the door, locking it behind her before looking back to see Finn's text, telling her he was on his way back to the hotel. She responded quickly as she thought back over Quinn's behavior throughout the evening, coming to the only logical conclusion she could find.

Quinn was dating Noah.

Her phone rang in her hand and she quickly accepted the call, seeing it was Finn. He'd barely said hello before she spoke, wondering if Finn knew Noah was dating. "Tell me everything you know about Noah's current relationship status."

* * *

"_I'll be the one/I'll be the one/Who will make all your sorrows undone/I'll be the light…._

The Backstreet Boys _The One_ was blasting through the car speakers as Rachel pulled into Finn's driveway, absently singing along as she pressed the remote now attached above her visor, waiting for the gates to swing open before she drove through. She continued to sing as she followed the curve of the driveway to the attached garage, parking her car next to Finn's and climbing out, ready to relax with him after the day's practice. She pushed open the door and entered the kitchen, setting her purse down on the counter as she called his name.

"Finn? I'm-" she paused, almost blurting out the word _home_ before she caught herself. "Here. I'm here."

"I'm out here babe," he called back from the deck off the kitchen.

"I'll be right there," she yelled back with a smile. "I'm going to grab a bottle of water-do you need anything?"

"Nope, just you."

Rolling her eyes at his cheesiness (even though she actually liked it) Rachel crossed to the fridge and pulled it open, grabbing a bottle of water before closing the door. Her gaze landed on the picture of them that was now displayed prominently on his fridge and she smiled to herself as realized how much had changed in just a short couple of weeks.

"_You need to go," Rachel announced as she looked at her phone, a smile tugging at her lips as she saw a text from Finn telling her he had just parked and would be on his way up in a minute._

"_Rachel, there's no way he's here already-their flight just landed 20 minutes ago," Quinn laughed and tucked her feet under her legs on the couch._

"_How do you know when their flight landed?"_

"_I was sitting next to you when Finn texted," Quinn retorted, rolling her eyes. "Now, like I was telling you, I don't think you should have Finn's picture up on the fridge like that-you know Sue does random fridge checks. She'd kick you off the team in a heartbeat."_

"_Is that what you'd do?" Rachel asked innocently, trying to remember if there were any pictures of Noah in Quinn's apartment. "Besides, I wouldn't have to say we were together," Rachel insisted. "I could lie-"_

"_No, you can't. That's part of the problem."_

"_I fooled you didn't I?"_

"_You keep thinking that," Quinn said with a roll of her eyes. "House Hunters on tonight?"_

"_Don't you have somewhere else to be right now?" Rachel demanded._

"_I told you; my hot yoga was cancelled," Quinn reminded her, leaving out the part that Puck apparently had to do some promotional work with Santana that night and couldn't get together till later._

"_He's going to be here any second-" Rachel fretted, her grin growing as she heard a knock on her door. She jumped up from the couch and crossed to the door, yanking it open in her excitement to see Finn and barely managing a quick "hi" before his lips were on hers. _

_"I missed you so much," he mumbled against her lips, breaking the kiss to breathe. He waited until she'd wrapped her arms around his neck before he picked her up by the waist, letting her wrap her legs around him as he started to kiss her again._

_Quinn cleared her throat, reminding Rachel to her presence. With a last nip of his bottom lip she pulled back. "Finn, you remember Quinn, right?"_

_"Uh yeah. Hey Quinn," Finn replied, lifting his head from Rachel's as he offered Quinn a half wave._

_"Hey there," Quinn nodded in response. "Think you could at least close the door before you start making up for missing out on the mile high club?"_

"_Quinn!" Rachel hissed as her face began to flush in embarrassment and she slid down Finn's body._

_"Um, nice to see you again," Finn said, slipping his arm Rachel's waist while ignoring Quinn's words._

_"You too," Quinn smirked, eyeing his suitcase. "Planning on staying for the weekend?"_

_"Um-"_

_"You really should close the door you know, Mrs. Jacobs across the hall is probably getting an eyeful through her peephole," she continued, not giving him a chance to answer her earlier question. _

_Rachel looked pointedly at Quinn. "I thought I'd just close it after you left, you know since you just said you were leaving," she said, her eyebrows raised as she waited for Quinn to leave and give her and Finn some privacy._

_"Oh. I don't have to go yet."_ _Quinn smiled brightly at the duo, making no move to get up from the couch._

_"Didn't you say you were leaving?" Rachel insisted, nodding her head towards the door._

_"I said no such thing," Quinn replied, smirking at Rachel's put out face until her phone buzzed on the coffee table. She leaned forward to grab it, her eyebrows raising as she read a text from Puck. "Oh! it looks like my hot yoga class didn't get cancelled after all." _

"_Well isn't that convenient?" Rachel chirped as she picked up Quinn's purse from the foyer table and held it out towards her. "You have fun!"_

"_Oh I will," Quinn replied, taking her purse from Rachel and heading to the still open door. She paused in the doorframe. "Nice seeing you again Finn. You two-" _

"_Will talk to you later," Rachel finished for her, closing the door on Quinn's face. She rose on her toes and pressed a kiss to Finn's lips. "Welcome back, Tigger."_

_"Mmm. Missed you, Roo." Finn hugged her and just breathed her in, glad to be in the same room as her again._

_Rachel pulled back and smiled up at him. "I ordered a pizza when you landed, want something to drink while we wait?"_

"_Sure," he replied, leading her towards the kitchen. "You ready to follow all the rules?"_

"_Of course," Rachel told him seriously. She lifted her shirt, flashing her braless chest at him for a second. "See? Full Compliance."_

_"Love it." He leaned down for a kiss._

_She kissed him once more before crossing to open the fridge. "Blue Moon ok?"_

"_Perfect. Hey Rach, what's that?" Finn asked, pointing to his picture on the fridge._

"_Your official team picture of course," she grinned, handing him his beer._

"_Maybe I should put your picture on my fridge," he teased, still staring at his picture. "Your's would look a lot better than mine. Those pictures always look like mug shots."_

"_I think you have enough pictures of me," Rachel laughed._

_"But I don't have any of us though," Finn said, spotting her camera on the counter. He picked it up and quirked his eyebrow at her. "Maybe we can take one for my fridge?"_

"_Ok," she replied, moving into his arms as he set his beer on the counter. Settling back against his chest she smiled brightly as he rested his chin on her shoulder, quickly snapping the picture. _

"_Let me see!"_

_Obligingly, he handed her the camera, peering over her shoulder as she looked at the picture._

_"Oh I love it!" she squealed as she saw how adorable they looked together. "Think Kurt'll let it into the kitchen? He did decorate that room you know."_

"_You'll have to come see," he told her, reaching his hand inside his pocket. _

"_Next time I'm over, ok?"_

"_You can come over whenever you want you know."_

_She turned in his arms and smiled up at him. "I can huh? But I don't know the code to get in."_

"_It's 0724," he replied honestly, wondering if she'd know that was the date of their locker room tryst. He pulled out the remote control for his gate out of his pocket, complete with a little green bow. "Or you can just use this."_

_Her eyes wide she stared up at him. "Finn-"_

"_I'm not saying you have to," he rushed to explain. "It's just that it's kind of hard sneaking around here-I've already been asked for my autograph twice and I just think it might-"_

"_Finn," she interrupted, taking the remote from him and closing her mouth over his, effectively silencing him._

"Babe?"

Rachel jumped at Finn's voice, her mind busy reminiscing how the gate controller gift had to led to them already being naked when the pizza had arrived. "Coming!"

Water in hand, she walked out the French door in the kitchen to find him relaxing on a chaise lounge in just a pair of loose shorts. Her eyes raked over him, appreciating his body until she noticed the nasty bruise on his torso. "Where did you get that? Did someone hit you at practice?"

"Hey baby," he answered, avoiding her questions as he patted the empty spot on the lounge. "Come here, I saved you a seat."

"Where did you get that bruise?" she demanded again as she walked over and sat next to him, her arms automatically wrapping around him. She heard him wince at the contact and immediately sat up. "Did I hurt you?"

"No babe. It's just a bit tender. I'm fine." He took her arm and tried to put it back over him as if to prove his point.

"How is it fine? That's a huge bruise." Not convinced, she pulled her arm back and looked him over again, noticing another lighter bruise mark by his hipbone. Her fingers ghosted over it for a moment before she looked up at him. "Is this tender too?"

"Dee," he said tilting her chin up with his fingers and looking her in the eye. The feel of her hands on his skin was making him ache, but not in the way that she meant. "I'm _fine_."

"I just worry about you. I don't like seeing you get hit." Her hands came back up to settle on his chest as she gave him a light kiss.

"I'll be fine," Finn promised, giving her another kiss. "I do have equipment to protect me, you know."

"And yet you're still bruised. Thankfully your helmet means I don't have to worry about your face getting hurt." Her lips moved over his cheeks before sinking into his lips. She teased his tongue with hers as her hands stroked down his chest. Feeling his hand sneak into her hair she pulled back and smiled at his groan.

He nipped her lips. "Seriously, I'm _fine."_

"I just don't get why your own teammate would hit you that hard," she insisted. "I would think that since you're going up against one of the top defensive lines in the league this weekend when you play the Texans, your own teammates would ease up."

Finn smiled over at her as he reached a hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear, focusing on the early part of her statement. "The Texans have one of the top defensive lines huh? Where'd you hear that?"

"It was on _Inside the NFL_."

"You watch _Inside the NFL_?" Finn asked with genuine surprise. "Seriously?"

"I have lately," Rachel admitted with a blush. "But that's not the point. I just don't get why Coach Schuester would have your own teammates play that hard when you guys have the season opener on Sunday."

"Coach Schue did tell them not to go full out but Karofsky was pissed off so he didn't."

Rachel settled her head on his shoulder and continued to stroke his chest. "So he hit you? What was he so upset about?"

"He's just an ass-he still thinks he's in college and therefore hates Puck, Sam and I since we crushed his team for four years straight," Finn explained. "Plus, he was staring at you today and I may have said something to him."

"Me?" Rachel asked in surprise, her head popping up off his shoulder. "I'm sure you misunderstood."

"Yeah, I don't think that's the case baby," he hedged, shifting on the chaise and pulling her back down against his chest.

"How do you know?" she asked, her face tipping back to look up at him.

"You mean besides the fact that I was looking at you, too? He said your name, ok?"

"Finn," Rachel laughed. "People say my name every day! I'm telling you, he was probably comparing me to someone else."

"I don't think him saying he wondered if you were as flexible in the bedroom as you are on the field is a comparison to anyone else," Finn muttered, his hand involuntarily clenching on her hip.

"He said that?" Rachel gasped, her head flying off his shoulder to look at him.

"Among other things." The hand on her hip pulled her closer to him.

"So he hit you because you told him not to talk about me like that?" Rachel clarified, stunned that she'd been the cause of any type of fight.

"Yeah." He fidgeted, leaving out exactly what he'd said to Karofsky.

"You didn't have to do that." She lowered her head back onto his shoulder.

"Didn't have to? Of course I did-I wasn't going to stand there and let him talk about you like that!" Finn insisted, his agitation growing with every word.

Rachel stroked her hands down his chest to try and calm him down. "But then he wouldn't have hit you."

"I don't want him talking about you like that. I don't want _anyone _talking about you like that," he exploded. "I don't care if he hits me."

"So you protected me?" she asked incredulously, her head leaving his chest again. "That's very chivalrous of you."

"I'd do it every time," he told her seriously, his eyes locked on hers. "_Nobody_ can talk about you like that, especially not an ass like Karofsky."

"Thank you, baby." She pressed a kiss to his jaw. "I appreciate it, even if it's a moot point since Karofsky is never going to know how flexible I am in the bedroom."

"Good." He nodded firmly, letting Rachel continue to place a trail of kisses along his jaw.

"I'd _never_ do this to Karofsky." Her lips moved down his neck, lightly biting at the spot where his neck met his shoulder before soothing it with her tongue while her hands trailed down the sides of his chest finally settling at the top of his shorts. Smiling at his groan of appreciation, she continued to softly kiss her way down his chest to the purpling bruise in the middle of his torso. She placed a gentle kiss on the bruise, her lips lingering for a moment before she looked up at him. "And I _definitely _wouldn't check Karofsky for injury."

He looked down at her before he answered, his voice thick with lust. "Yeah? How are you going to check?"

"Well if it was Karofsky, I'd tell him to go to the trainer. But since it's _you..." _Her tongue darted out to circle his belly button, already feeling something pressing against her stomach. "I need to be _very _thorough."

"Check away," he answered, his tongue darting out to lick his lips as she kissed his stomach all over. He was almost painfully aroused from her teasing and he needed to relieve it _fast_. He reached for her only to have her push hands away. "Baby, let me touch you."

"Not until I'm done Finn," she reprimanded while kissing her way across his side to the fading bruise. "I mean, I want to make sure you're clear that I wouldn't do this for just anyone. I'm sure the trainers check you, but I doubt they check _everywhere_."

He watched as she gently blew on the skin she'd just kissed causing him to moan before her lips started moving again. Her nails scraped his thighs under his shorts making him lose coherence as she kissed his bruise one more time. "Fuck, Rachel."

"I _told _you. I would never check Karofsky or anyone else for that matter like this." She sat up, her hands running up his thighs under his shorts but purposely stopping just shy of touching him.

"Baby, are you trying to kill me?" he groaned in a mix of frustration and desire. His hips bucked up as he tried to get her to touch him but she instead moved her hands off him completely.

"Absolutely not," she replied coyly as she climbed over him and shook her head before leaning down over him, letting her hair form a curtain around their faces. Eyes locked on his, she bit her bottom lip while rocking her hips back and forth over his arousal. "I just want to make sure I don't miss any sore spots. Is anything else aching?"

He gripped her hips and stopped her rocking motions. His eyes focused on her lips as he answered. "Uh huh."

"Poor baby." She swiveled her hips on his lap again, loving the feeling of teasing him. Closing the miniscule gap between their mouths, she placed a feather light kiss on his lips. "Was that the spot that's achy?"

"No," he said hoarsely, bucking his hips as a reminder.

Ignoring that, she began kissing her way back down his chest, stopping to flick her tongue over his nipple. "How about there?"

His breath caught in his throat and he couldn't speak so he merely shook his head.

She continued her path downward, stopping right above the top of his shorts. She traced her tongue along the skin right above and smiled as his head fell back with a groan. "Here?"

"Close," he breathed out while running his hand through her hair.

"Hmmm," she murmured, shifting even lower to kiss his thigh. "Here?"

"Rach," he groaned. "Please."

"Finn. I told you I was going to be very thorough and I fully intend to be," she chastised, placing a kiss on his other thigh. She sat up slightly, letting a finger graze over the tent in his shorts and smirking at the hiss it elicited from Finn. "It seems to me that this might be a problem. Is it?"

He nodded rapidly, unable to speak.

"I should probably examine it for injury, don't you think?" she asked, grazing it a little firmer. "I'm sure the trainers missed it and it's probably really achy right?"

Again he nodded, earning a smirk from Rachel.

"In that case, let me see what I can do." She hooked her fingers into his shorts, pulling them and his boxers off in one motion as he lifted his hips. His prominent arousal sprung free and she immediately leaned over to lick along its length before taking just the tip into her mouth.

His fingers tightened in her hair and he thrust his hips forward in a silent plea. He glanced down to find her looking up him through her lashes as she slowly wrapped her hand around his length, stroking him softly as her tongue swirled around his tip. "Fuck Rach," he said through gritted teeth. "Don't tease baby."

She pulled her mouth off him but continued to stroke him as she spoke. "I'm not teasing. I was just kissing it better, something I'd _never_ do for Karofsky." She leaned forward and again sucked the tip of him into her mouth for a moment before taking more of him. Her head bobbed up and down a few times as he fisted her hair, helping her move on him.

"Shit, baby." His head dropped back as the vibration of her humming against his shaft reverberated through his body. "Oh _fuck._"

"That didn't feel better? I can stop." She pulled her lips from him and scooted back from in between his legs to stand up in front of the chair.

He drank in the sight of her standing there with the sun shining over her hair and felt a fresh wave of lust wash over him. "It did feel better but…" he allowed his voice to trail off as he looked her over. "That shirt was just a little scratchy against my skin, you know?"

"Scratchy? Well we can't have that." She smirked at him as she reached for the hem of her shirt. She slowly pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it to the side. Clad now in just her bra and capris she stepped forward.

"Wait," he said causing her to stop. "Those pants? They were making me really hot."

She arched her brow at him as she smiled coyly. "Oh they were? Let me fix that." She slid the pants down her body slowly, appreciating the desire in his eyes as he watched her. Standing in just her bra and panties she ran a hand down her body to place a hand on her hip. "Better now?"

"Actually, I'm really shy you know." He placed his arms behind his head. "And me being naked in front of you is making me uncomfortable."

"I can see." Her gaze scanned his body, his rock hard erection proudly standing at a ninety degree angle. Intending to tease him more, she slowly brought her hands up to her breasts, toying with the strap of her bra. "How can we make you more comfortable?"

His eyes dilated as he watched her tease the strap between her fingers. "You know how."

"Do I?" She let the strap travel to the edge of her shoulder before sliding it back in place.

"You do." His followed the path of the strap as it headed towards her shoulder again. "Lose it."

"If you say so." Her fingers danced across her breasts, meeting at the front clasp nestled between them. Eyes fixed on him, she unclasped the bra, holding it to her breasts for a second before she dropped her arms to let it slide off her body and onto the ground. "Ok?"

"Nope." He tore his gaze from her breasts to focus on her panties. "Lose those too."

"Very well." Kicking the discarded bra aside, she shimmied out of her panties and stood for a moment, unbearably achy with need for him.

His eyes darkened as he spoke. "So fucking sexy."

She blushed, stepping forward to kneel on the chaise between his legs, her hand stroking him lightly while she kissed him. "My baby feel better now?"

"Almost." He sat up slightly as his hands began racing over her body finally settling on her breasts to tweak the already hardened peaks for a moment before capturing her nipple with his mouth.

"_Oooh_." She arched her back as she let out a moan, letting her center rub over his thigh before pulling his mouth off her breast to give him a scorching kiss.

His fingers slid back down her body and cupped her ass before sliding one hand between them and lightly stroking her. He shifted to lie back in the chair, pulling her face down to him. "Rach," he groaned against her lips. "Baby, I need to be inside you."

Without saying a word, she stood up and turned around, her ass facing Finn as she settled her feet on either side of the chaise. Facing the pool, she slowly lowered herself over his length, her eyes closing at the sensation. With a breathy moan of his name she began to slide up and down while swiveling her hips. "Oooh. _Finn_."

Loving the view he was getting, he reached up and lightly tugged on her hair which made her arch her back. His other hand was on her hip, helping hold her steady. He felt her hand stroke along his thighs and dropped his head back on a moan. "So damn_ good_, baby."

"Oh _God_!" she cried, her hands moving to grip her breasts. She moved her hips faster as she felt herself nearing release. Wanting him to come with her, she looked at him over her shoulder as she reached between them and scraped her nails right along his inner thigh.

"Fuck Rach!" he exclaimed as he felt her beginning to clench around him.

"_Oh_! Finn! _Finn_!" she cried as the orgasm rolled through her body. "_Baby_!"

"Fuck, baby, _fuck_!" Unable to say anything else, he held her hips in place as his own release overtook him.

She stayed where she was for a minute with her head dropped forward. Finn sat up, placing kisses along her shoulders, his arms coming to wrap around her. She rubbed his arms for a moment, still coming down from her high. Satiated, she pulled herself off of him and turned to face him, cuddling into his lap. "Did I check you thoroughly enough?"

"Mhmm." He placed a kiss to her hair, unable to stop the smile on his face. "But the trainers usually recommend some water therapy after."

"Do they?" Before she knew what he intended he was sweeping her up into his arms as he stood and started walking. She offered him a smile, her head resting on his shoulder. "A shower sounds nice."

"Who said anything about a shower?" he asked with a nibbling kiss.

She looked around wondering why he'd stopped until she realized they were at the edge of the pool. "Finn! Don't you dare! I don't have a suit," she warned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said innocently. "I'm just holding my sexy girlfriend in my arms. I…whoa!" He pretended to lose his balance, swinging her in his arms over the pool before pulling her back to his chest. "That was close, baby."

"Finn! Do not even think about it!" she squealed as he took another step and pretended to stumble. "I'm serious! I will be so-"

Her last word was cut off as she screamed while he released her and tossed her in the water. Finn watched her disappear for a second, chuckling at how adorable she looked as she flew through the air.

She surfaced sputtering and pushing the hair out of her eyes just in time to hear Finn yell "_cannonball_!" and jump into the water, sending a large wave crashing over her. She allowed it to wash over her before slipping down under the water and swimming to where he had landed. Her eyes were full of mischief as she treaded water behind him, waiting for him to surface.

He popped back up to the surface with a smile and shook his head, causing stray droplets of water to go flying before opening his eyes to find her. His smile quickly turned to a frown as he noticed she was no longer in front of him in the water. Worried that she really hadn't wanted to go in the pool, he scanned the water in front of him again as he called her name. "Rach? Baby? I'm sorry."

Rachel turned with his body, smiling to herself as she stayed behind him. Seizing the moment, she jumped on his back and tried to dunk him. Unfortunately, the moment her hands hit his shoulders he turned, causing her to lose her grip on him and tumble back into the water.

Smirking, he grabbed her hands and yanked her closer to him. He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose as he watched her pout. "You think you're so sneaky, don't you?"

She gave a little huff before replying. "I _am_. You didn't even know I was in the water with you. "

He tried to play his momentary panic down. "Nah, I knew you were in here the whole time."

"_Sure _you did baby. That's why you were calling for me and apologizing." She tossed her head back laughing as she splashed some water at him. Tired of treading water, she looped her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around him. "But I think you missed a step in your apology."

"I did?" he asked as he settled his hands on her ass, stroking it lightly under the water. "What step is that?"

"The one where we kiss and make up," she quipped with a smile.

"Well we can't have that can we?" He smiled as he captured her lips with his and moaned a bit at the feeling of her running her hands up his neck and into his hair. He drifted in the kiss enjoying the feel of her lips under his when suddenly she increased the pressure of her hands in his hair. He felt her lips leave his a second before she dunked him.

He emerged seconds later to see her laughing a few feet away. "So that's how you want to play huh?"

She swam a little further away as she spoke, a smirk on her face as she began floating on her back, the sunlight warming her naked body. "I told you before I play to win."

He eyed her as she floated, his gaze fixated on her breasts rising out of the water, tiny droplets cascading down them. His eyes followed the trail of the droplets as he moved closer like a shark circling its prey. "Well baby, I think we're tied, seeing as how I tossed you once and you dunked me once."

"Hmmm, you're right," she replied while cocking her head sideways. "Guess we need a tie breaker."

"Or you could just admit defeat since you know I'll win," he said as placed his arms underneath her, his head lowering to suck one pert nipple. Before he could even get started, she rolled out of his arms and back into the water, immediately resuming her treading as she stared at him.

"I'm not falling for that Finn," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Falling for what?" he murmured as he pulled her closer and put his hands back on her ass.

"Your little attempt to use my move to win," she said with a laugh. "You know, you kiss me or in this case suck and I then lose focus and you dunk me."

"What?" he said with exaggerated innocence. "I don't need your moves baby. I have moves of my own." He took her mouth in a sweet kiss, gliding his tongue over her lips as he sought entrance to her mouth. His tongue slid easily into her mouth, exploring all the crevices before he sucked on her bottom lip and pulled away. Catching his breath he looked at her for a moment. Her hair was clinging to her back and the water had rinsed her makeup away leaving her natural beauty exposed. He ran his hand over her back gently as he murmured, "Tie?"

"Tie." She looked up with a smile as she glanced around the pool, spotting a large rock formation and waterfall to her left. "Oh, you have a waterfall! It's beautiful."

He turned his head to follow her gaze. "Yeah. Wanna know the cool part?" His voice was excited as he smiled. Not bothering to wait for her reply he continued. "There's a slide built into the rocks of the waterfall that drops you through it."

"Really?" she asked filled with awe.

"Mhmm." He placed a kiss on her lips. "Wanna try it?"

She stared at him, her eyes excited. "Absolutely!"

He gave her another kiss before he released her to swim over to the edge of the pool and climb out. He turned to help her out, surprised to see her hesitating in the pool. "You coming?"

"You're _sure_nobody will see us right?" She glanced up at the sky. "Like those ESPN people don't do random flyovers or anything right?"

He tucked his tongue in his cheek as he looked at her. "You're worrying about that _now _after what went down on the chaise over there?"

She blushed but looked him in the eye. "Yes."

"Nobody will see Dee," he promised as he offered a hand to help her out, grinning when she slipped a hand into his and climbed out. He led her to the back of the rocks where hidden among some trees were the steps to the slide.

"I can't believe you have a waterslide," she commented as hand in hand they walked up the rock steps leading to the waterslide.

"Yeah, well when I moved here, I made the deal with Kurt that he could house hunt with me and decorate the house however he wanted as long as the house had a kickass pool and I got to decorate the game room and den." He paused at the top, glancing down at the slide. "Here we are."

"Sounds like a good deal you had with Kurt," Rachel commented as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She placed kiss on his chest as she stared up at him. "I'd say this pool is kickass."

"You know what else is kickass?" He didn't bother waiting for her reply before he scooped her up, placing a big kiss on her lips. She squealed, her arms wrapping around his neck. "Going down the slide with a super hot naked girl."

She blushed at his words. "I may be naked but I'm not super hot."

"Yeah you are, baby." He gave her another kiss, carefully stepping onto the base of the slide. "And naked you're like off the charts hot."

She blushed again as he sat down, placing her in between his outstretched legs. His fingers made their way between hers before he wrapped his arms around her. Aroused by the feeling of being so secure in his arms, she turned her head, her lips finding his for a slow sensual kiss.

Lips still locked on hers, he pushed off, sending them down the slide as they continued to kiss. Rachel tore her lips from his as the cool air passed over her wet skin causing her to shiver moments before they were launched through the waterfall.

He managed to hold onto her as they crashed into the water with a loud splash. He immediately kicked him to the surface, pulling Rachel over to the side of the waterfall. He pulled her close to him, letting her wrap her arms around his neck, glad he'd insisted on getting those underwater benches on either side of the waterfall, no matter what Kurt said. He leaned against one, using it to support himself and Rachel as he gave her a gentle kiss. "So what'd you think?"

"I loved it! I mean you just go right through the water!" She tilted her head letting the waterfall cascade over her for a moment. Finn watched for a moment completely transfixed by the sight of her in front of him. She picked her head back up, smiling at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he said with a chuckle as he pushed her hair off her face. The sun shot fire through her hair and he took a moment to look at her. She looked happy and peaceful and just gorgeous. "You're just so beautiful." He kissed her forehead. "And sweet." A kiss landed on her nose. "Fun." His thumbs grazed her cheeks. "And best of all mine." He cupped her face, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss.

Her brain tried to focus but it was so hard when he was kissing her so sweetly. She blinked as he pulled away. "Am I?"

"Are you what?" he murmured, intent on placing kisses along her jaw.

"Yours." She pulled his head away from her jaw, looking into his eyes. "I mean, you said you were holding your sexy _girlfriend _before. You've never called me that before."

His eyes locked on hers, realizing in that moment that they'd never talked about this aspect of a relationship. Suddenly nervous, he licked his lips. "Dee?"

"Yes Finn?"

He thought back to their first conversation and licked his lips again before speaking. "You can be my girlfriend if you want to."

Touched that he remembered their first conversation she looked him with a smile, her voice no higher than a whisper. "I want to."

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, the start of a smile on his face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she mimicked. Their eyes centimeters apart, they stared at each other, smiles growing wide on both their faces.

Forgetting where they were, he cupped her face in his hands, kissing her lips repeatedly. Rachel's arms wrapped even tighter around him and he deepened the kiss, fully intending to slip his tongue into her mouth. Arms still firmly wrapped around his neck, Rachel attempted to pull him towards her, causing him to lean forward and lose his footing on the slippery slope of the pool bottom. Without the support of the bench the pair dipped beneath the surface of the water before Finn kicked his feet to bring them back up. He quickly moved back to the bench and immediately started apologizing as he cuddled Rachel close to his chest. "Shit, baby, I'm _so_ sorry! I slipped! Are you ok?"

Frantic, he pressed kisses to her hair as he ran his hand over her back, concerned that she was upset and that he had unintentionally ruined the moment. He closed his eyes and leaned back, resting his head against the tile of the pool and absolutely disgusted by his clumsiness. The feeling of a pair of lips placing soft kisses on his chest made him pick his head up in surprise.

"Of course I'm ok Finn; I do know how to swim you know," she teased, still placing delicate kisses on his wet skin. She positioned her legs on either side of him, her lips leaving his chest as she pulled his face to hers. The water continued to flow behind her, streaming over her back as she brought her lips to his in a sweet kiss. "But it was super sweet of you to worry."

"Well that's what boyfriends do," he explained as he began peppering kisses along her throat. A mewl escaped her mouth as his lips trailed lower, grazing the top of her breasts. His tongue darted out to run along one breast, his fingers doing the same along her folds under the water.

"It is huh?" she asked as she fisted her hands in his hair, trying to get his mouth back to hers. He ignored her tugs, sucking on the soft skin of her breast. His fingers continued to stroke her under the water, alternating between fast and slow movements. "_Ooo_."

"Mhmmm," he said, biting her skin lightly, pleased at the little noises escaping her mouth. He picked his head up in surprise when he felt her small hand cut through the water and grip his length, gently stroking him back to hardness. "What are you doing, baby?"

"I'm taking care of my boyfriend," she announced coyly as she stroked harder. "It's what girlfriends do."

He grinned at that, staring into her eyes as the hand he had under the water moved to wrap around hers. He brought her hand out of the water, placing it around his neck to join her other one. He snaked his arms around her, pulling her closer. "Come here."

Rachel grinned, leaning forward to let their mouths fuse together. His tongue traced her bottom lip and she gasped which allowed his tongue to slip inside and tease. His hands snaked around her hips and pulled her closer while deepening the kiss, content to lose himself in her.

Giving his lip a final nibble, she pulled away from Finn, her fingers playing with his hair. "We need to celebrate this."

He grinned. "I have nothing to do for the rest of the day. I plan to celebrate this till one of us collapses from exhaustion."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I was thinking a romantic candlelit dinner but settle for some more kisses until then?"

"Depends. Are we naked for this dinner, girlfriend?" he teased, squeezing her ass under the water.

"I think we just might be." She smiled at the use of his endearment as he dropped a kiss on his shoulder. "Can the kissing begin?"

"It can," he murmured, already placing kisses along the edge of one breast. "Good thing I have no plans."

* * *

The gate swinging open enough to drive past, Carole steered down the driveway, heading for the garage and her usual spot. "God it's hot. I'm looking forward to getting in the pool."

"I don't know why we waited until Finn got home from practice," Kurt replied, adjusting the air conditioner to blow on him. "It's not like we don't have keys. He wouldn't care if we swam without him."

"I told him I'd wait for him. I've barely gotten to see him since training camp started," Carole pulled her Audi beside a Fiat. "Whose car is that? Do you think Noah is here?"

"I don't think so," Kurt mused. "Puck wouldn't drive a car like that. It's too small."

Carole's eyes lit up. "Oh! Do you think it's Rachel's?"

"Probably. It looks like something she'd drive," Kurt decided, getting out of the car and automatically opening the trunk to help Carole unload. Laden down with shopping bags Kurt walked into the house and headed for the kitchen, calling out to Finn as he set the bags on the counter. When he received no response he turned to Carole and rolled his eyes. "He probably forgot we were coming and fell asleep in the den."

Carole smiled at him as she set her own bags down on the counter and began pulling out neatly labeled containers of food. She smiled at the picture of Finn and Rachel hanging on the fridge before opening his refrigerator to begin putting away the meals she had made for him. Her eyebrows raised, surprised to see that there was already actual food in the fridge. "Why don't you go find him Kurt? I need to rearrange some things in here or Finn won't know where to find anything."

"Carole, you do know he's 27 years old right? I'm sure he'd figure it out," he told her with a shake of his head.

"It's just easier for him to find things if they're in the same spot they're in at my house. Now go," she said shooing him to the hallway. "And if that is Rachel's car, I want to say hello."

"Finn?" Kurt called out again as he walked down the hallway, poking his head into the den. He frowned, noticing that while Finn was certainly not in the room, there were definitely new items in there that he himself had not purchased. He eyed a blanket draped across the couch, his frown turning into a look of horror as he noticed the blanket was decorated with a picture of Tigger and Roo from Winnie the Pooh. His quest momentarily forgotten, he scanned the room more closely, noticing a pair of stuffed animals, again Tigger and Roo, tucked into one of the armchairs. Completely forgetting why he had originally been looking for Finn, he turned on his heel and marched towards the kitchen, annoyed that someone had messed with his décor. "He's not in the den, but you won't _believe_ what is," he announced to Carole. "There's a-"

"Check outside-maybe he's already in the pool." Carole cut in, not bothering to look at him as she rearranged his fridge.

"He probably fell asleep out in the sun again you mean," Kurt said absently, still thinking about the blanket. "And since you and I both know he doesn't listen to me about the importance of sunscreen-"

"Kurt, just go look," Carole laughed, continuing to rearrange Finn's fridge.

Kurt just shook his head as he pushed open the door to the patio. His eyes quickly scanned the chaises scattered about, frowning when he realized they were empty. Starting to worry, he called out to Finn again as he walked further out onto the patio. "Finn? Are you out here?"

Still not getting a response, he took a few more steps, pausing when he felt something twist around his ankle. Praying he wasn't going to look down and see a snake wrapped around his leg, he took a breath and looked down. What he saw almost made him wish it _was _a snake.

It was a _bra_.

Or more specifically, a hot pink satin bra. The strap of which was around his ankle. Horrified that something so hideous was anywhere near his designer clad leg, he kicked his ankle several times as he tried to rid himself of the offending garment without actually touching it.

The bra didn't move.

He shook his leg again, running a critical eye over what he thought was a purchase from Target. Obviously Finn was not the only one in this relationship in need of fashion help if she was shopping at massive chain stores. His leg continued to twitch causing the bra to circle his leg instead of making it fall off. He scanned the pool for the duo, praying that they had just changed into suits and left their clothes out.

"Finn!" he stage whispered angrily as he finally located the pair kissing by the waterfall. He received no reaction as the duo continued to kiss so he took a step forward, Rachel's bra still around his ankle. "_Finn_!"

More heated kisses were being exchanged as he stood there, checking over his shoulder to make sure that Carole hadn't come out. Knowing it wouldn't take her that long to put away the food, he stalked over to the couple, dragging the bra with him. His prayers had clearly gone unanswered, since one look under the water made it clear that there were _no_ bathing suits in the vicinity. His hands immediately came up to cover his eyes. "Oh _God_! Finn!"

Kurt's words finally registering in his head, Finn reluctantly tore his lips off of Rachel's to turn with her in his arms. "What?"

"You tell me," Kurt replied crossly from behind his hands.

Not in the mood to deal with Kurt when he could be kissing, Finn cuddled Rachel close to him, enjoying the feel of her wet chest against his for a moment before she pushed him away with a tiny shriek and ducked behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder at Rachel, suddenly realizing that he and Rachel were both naked in the water and his brother was currently standing at the edge of the pool with his eyes covered. He moved closer to the edge of the pool, hoping it blocked Kurt's view of either him or Rachel, who was still firmly attached to his back. "Dude, what the hell are you doing here?"

Kurt kept his eyes covered as he finally kicked the bra off his leg, sending it sailing into the water. "Carole was bringing your weekly supply of dinners and we were going to go swimming remember? So we came over together. Believe me, had I known I was going to be blinded for life because you were playing naked Marco Polo I wouldn't have come!"

Finn's brain registered only one fact of Kurt's explanation. "Mom's _here_? Shit, you gotta buy us some time to get out of here," he begged, not bothering to hide the panic in his voice. Rachel gave an embarrassed squeak from behind him and he rubbed the arm she had wrapped around his waist in reassurance. "It's ok, Dee."

"_Ok_?! Finn, your brother just caught us skinny dipping and your mom is in your kitchen, two seconds away from catching us too! Explain to me how this is ok," she moaned, her head buried in his back, too mortified to look at Kurt.

"Dee?" Kurt asked in a puzzled tone. "Who's Dee?" He opened his eyes to slits and peeked out from between his fingers. "I thought Rachel was in there."

"Kurt, I don't have time to explain," he hissed, blushing at being caught using her nickname. "Please just go distract Mom."

"By telling her what? That you got caught skinny dipping and need time to get dressed? That'll go over well."

"Kurt! Make up something, _anything_, other than that," Finn begged. "Go ask her opinions on redecorating my bathroom or something."

"Speaking of redecorating," Kurt said, folding his arms over his chest. "Is that a new blanket in the den?"

"_Kurt did you find him?" _

"Shit! Go get me a bathing suit and get Rachel one of the spare suits, Kurt, like _now_," Finn hissed, glancing at the door anxiously.

"Fine," Kurt snapped. "But we're not done talking about this."

Finn watched him stomp towards the house for a second before he pulled Rachel off him, turning slightly to see her. Her head was downcast and he lifted her chin with his fingers. "You ok?"

"No. I've never been skinny dipping before and of course the first time I do it, I get caught," she griped.

"Admit it, you had fun though," Finn replied quietly, kissing her lips once.

"I did," she admitted freely. "I'm not ashamed of our actions, I just don't like getting caught." She glanced nervously at the house, wondering where Kurt was.

He smirked. "Looks like my girlfriend's got a wild side."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," she teased, glancing nervously at the door. "Where'd Kurt go?"

"Worried?" He smirked, pulling her close. His hands moved to cup and massage her ass.

"Well I don't want to greet your mom naked," she hissed. "She may have seen you naked before but I'd prefer she not see me."

"Ew." He wrinkled his nose at the thought, his hands stilling for a second to grab her bra floating nearby. "Put this on. It'll look like a bikini top."

She took it from him, slipping it on quickly. He waited until she'd hooked the bra securely before placing her in front of him against the edge of the pool and planting a few kisses against her neck.

"_Finn_!" she hissed as he continued to kiss her neck. "Knock it off!"

"What? I'm-"

"_Finn baby? Are you out here?"_

"Oh my God," Rachel moaned in embarrassment just as Carole stepped outside.

"Shit," he mumbled against her neck. He pulled his head off her neck, pushing her closer against the edge of the pool to make sure she was covered before he answered his mother. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Oh, there you are!" Carole beamed. "Rachel too!"

"Hello Carole," Rachel said quietly, her cheeks pink.

"Hey, Mom? Can you make some of your totally kickass Lemonade Iced tea?" Finn asked quickly before she took another step closer and could see the clothes on the ground or worse, them naked.

"Now?" She paused mid step.

"_Please?_ I was thinking about it all practice," he pleaded. "Rachel's never had it and I was telling her about it, right Rach?"

Rachel nodded vigorously. "I'd really like to try it."

"Oh. Well in that case, I'll be back." She gave them a smile before turning and walking back into the house.

"That was too close," Rachel moaned, turning a little to bury her face in Finn's chest.

"It's ok, Kurt's coming now," he replied, watching Kurt step out of the French doors off the den.

Kurt stomped over to them, his hands full of bathing suits. He tossed a pair of blue swim trunks at Finn. "Put these on so we don't have to suffer."

Finn caught the trunks, glaring at Kurt. "Shut up and get our clothes off the ground before Mom sees them."

"Here Rachel. Given your taste in front clasp bras, which I really thought were for training bras only, and your apparent love of cartoon characters, our cousin Mandy's suit should be just right since she's 12." He tossed a polka dotted and ruffled bikini her way, turning around to gather the clothes on the ground as they began to change.

Finn turned back around in the water to find Rachel with her cheeks pink and head lowered. He pulled her close to his chest, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "As much I hate to see you cover up, we have to get dressed, baby."

"I'm trying," Rachel hissed quickly, pulling on the bikini bottom as Finn did the same with his swim trunks. Fully dressed, he watched her unhook and pull off her bra, frowning as she covered her breasts with the bikini top.

"I can't tie it!" she cried, fumbling with the ties behind her neck.

"Let me help." He ran his hands up and down her arms to soothe her.

She turned in the water, holding up her hair to him. He made quick work of the tie around her neck, dropping a kiss to her shoulder before moving to the ties around her back. "There. I'm not used to helping you put clothes _on_."

"Ew. I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Kurt announced, slipping into the water. "Now that all body parts are sufficiently covered, we need to talk."

"About?" Finn questioned, letting Rachel wrap her arms around his neck from behind.

"That monstrosity of a blanket currently residing on your couch in the den." He turned to Rachel. "Is that your handiwork?"

"It is," Rachel piped up, resting her head on Finn's shoulder. "I had it custom made at the mall-"

"Why?" Kurt interjected.

"It's our snuggle blanket," Rachel replied with a smile. "So when we're watching TV we can cuddle."

"Really. I wasn't aware that Finn's a cuddler," Kurt commented dryly as Carole came back out, bearing a pitcher and wearing her bathing suit.

"Oh yes. He's a _fantastic_ cuddler," Rachel enthused, squeezing his face against hers with her arms. "We use that blanket a _lot_."

"We do," Finn agreed, rubbing his hand over her arm.

"In the future, make sure you cuddle with your clothes on," Kurt sniped, climbing onto the underwater bench.

"Dude!" Finn hissed, watching as his mother made her way over to the table, placing the pitcher and glasses down on it. He pulled Rachel off of him, grabbing a tube floating nearby and depositing her in it. Satisfied she was ok, he swam over to the side and jumped out, grabbing another tube off the ground. He threw the tube in the pool before he cannonballed back in, careful to aim his splash at Kurt as payback for his comment.

"Finn!" Kurt sputtered, wiping his face as Finn surfaced.

"He did it to me before, Kurt," Rachel added, lying back in her tube to soak in the sun, her tube rocking from the cannonball waves.

"And it's funny every time," Finn replied with a grin as he climbed into his tube. He used his long legs to pull Rachel's tube next to his, letting her rest her legs on top of his as he held their tubes together with his legs. "The only person I don't do it to is Mom."

"Only because you need to eat," Kurt snapped, still wiping water from his face.

"Exactly. You cook for me and I'll consider not cannonballing you." He leaned back, closing his eyes. His hand automatically reached over to find Rachel's, casually holding onto two fingers.

Not noticing anything amiss, Carole walked around the pool and slipped into the water near them, settling on an underwater bench and immediately launched into the week's menus, running down the heating instructions she'd taped to the fridge. Her eyes took in the way Finn was tenderly holding Rachel's fingers, their hands resting in the air between their tubes, and she smiled at the action. She may be the one taking care of Finn now, but her motherly instinct told her she wouldn't be for long.

She'd never been more thrilled.

* * *

"_Dinner was wonderful, Finn."_

"_Glad you liked it. Rachel makes a kickass lasagna right?"_

Rachel smiled as she scrubbed a pan, listening to Finn say good bye to his mother and brother in the hallway. Carole and Kurt had ended up staying for dinner and while she'd had to adjust her menu from a romantic naked dinner for two to a fully clothed family dinner of four, she was fairly happy with the results.

"Need some help, baby?"

She looked up from her sink of wet dishes as soon as she felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around her and an equally familiar pair of lips attach to her neck. "Is that your idea of helping?"

"Maybe." He placed a few more kisses on her neck. "My mom loved your lasagna by the way. So did Kurt."

"Did they?" She turned in his arms. "If I had known they'd be staying for dinner, I'd have had a better menu prepared. I didn't even have Italian bread to accompany the meal!"

"Babe, it was fine," he assured her, adding a kiss for emphasis. "I don't think they noticed the lack of Italian bread."

"I hope not," she worried as she handed him a plate to dry. "Did you see Kurt's face when your mom said the snuggle blanket was cute?"

"I did, baby," he laughed, accepting the plate and rubbing it with the towel. "He almost spit out his food."

"I know!" She smirked. "He thought for sure your mom would agree with him."

"You know I'm keeping it regardless of what he says, right?" Finn replied as he put the plate back in the cupboard.

"You don't think he really tried to sneak it out of here do you?" she questioned seriously, biting her lip as she waited for his response.

"I'm sure not," he assured her absently as he folded the dish towel. He watched her wipe the counter quickly with the dish cloth and shook his head at her as he spoke. "You're going to go double check aren't you?"

"I am," she confirmed with a smile as she hung the dish cloth over the faucet handle.

"Well maybe after you can join me outside," he said casually.

"Weren't we just out there?" she teased, poking a finger into his stomach.

"Well yeah," he admitted as he rubbed his stomach where she'd poked for a minute before he pulled her into his arms. "But I just was so relaxed out there earlier…"

She linked her arms around his neck and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Ok, you go ahead. I really want to make sure he didn't take it." She gave him another peck and slipped out of his arms to head to the den. "I'll be right there," she called over her shoulder as she scurried away.

Finn shook his head at her eagerness before turning and walking back to the French doors. He exited the kitchen and looked out over the yard, his gaze falling upon the hot tub portion of the pool. Grinning devilishly, he pulled off his shirt, dropping it on the ground as he walked. His shorts followed a few feet later, with his boxers being the last thing he took off as he reached the hot tub. He slipped inside the water and flipped a switch, creating a gentle pulse in the water. He eased back, stretching his arms out behind him as he waited for Rachel to find him.

She stepped out of the doorway and onto the patio, almost directly stepping on his shirt. She looked down as she saw the sleeve before shaking her head and picking it up before she looked around the yard for him, missing him in the hot tub at first.

"Finn?" she called out, walking forward and finding his shorts. She picked them up as well, dropping them onto the chaise lounge as she walked by.

He stayed in the water, sinking down to his shoulders. His eyes narrowed to slits as he peeked over the side, watching her approach like a lion stalking its prey. "Hi baby," he said warmly as she reached the edge. "You found me."

"You're the worst hider ever," she quipped. She picked up his boxers, tossing them behind her in the direction of the chaise lounge. "You forget something?"

"Nope. I'm just following directions," he told her cheekily as he pointed to a sign. "See?"

Rachel looked over to a small wooden duck sitting on a rock nearby with a whistle that said _strip and dip_. She turned back to look at Finn, who was still crouching in the water up to his shoulders. "I see."

"It's the rules," he replied, seriously, staring up at her as she stood on the edge and watched the bubbling water. "Pool rules are nothing to joke about, you know."

"So I've heard," she responded as she dipped her toe into the water. "Kurt pick that?"

"Nope," Finn smiled. "I picked it myself." His hand came out of the water to grab her foot as she tried to remove it from the water. "Sorry baby," he shook his head. "But you wanna use the hot tub you gotta follow the rules too."

She wiggled her foot out of his grasp. "I'm not getting in there naked Finn," she chided before looking around the yard quickly. "But maybe I can take _these_," she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her capris. "Off. I mean, pool rules and all."

"Exactly," Finn replied, watching as she pulled the capris down her legs and tossed them aside before sitting down on the stone surrounding the edge of the hot tub in nothing but her tank top and panties.

"How's that?" she asked as she eased her legs into the water in front of him. "Ooo the water feels nice."

"Better," he conceded as he looked her over. He ran his fingers up her leg from ankle to thigh as he spoke. "But unless you want _those_," he reached up and dragged a wet finger along her panties. "To suffer the same fate as your bra, you should take them off too."

She shrugged, ignoring the hand rubbing her feet under the water. "I never liked that bra."

"Yeah? That's too bad. I thought you looked hot in it for the five seconds you had it on," he replied, his hand now lightly grazing the sole of her foot.

"I told you, I hate that bra," she said huskily as his fingers began playing up and down her legs.

"But it matches these," he reminded her as he traced the waistband of her panties, smirking as she parted her legs slightly.

"Someone could come by," she whispered as she closed her legs, her head whipping back to look at the house.

"Trust me, baby, nobody else is coming by." His finger trailed from her hip to her knee, trying to ease her legs back apart. He leaned forward and placed a few kisses on her knee, purposely kissing towards the inside. A smirk formed against her skin as her legs parted again.

"That's what you said in the pool, Finn," she reminded him as she scooted forward to capture his head between her legs not realizing how close she was to the edge. Finn however did know how close she was and took advantage of the opportunity to hook his arms under her and yank her in. Quickly, before she could react, he backed up so that they were in the center of the hot tub. Like him, she was now shoulder deep in the water, essentially using his crouched body as a seat, her legs floating on either side of him.

"Finn!" she cried out in surprise, her arms automatically wrapping around his shoulders.

"Well you said you didn't care about the fate of these panties," he chuckled as his hands reached around to cup her ass.

"But I never said I didn't care about my shirt," she reprimanded as she rested her forehead on his. "I happen to like this shirt."

"Oops," he replied with a grin as he looked at her now soaked shirt. "Guess we should take that off."

"Well it's already wet," she said as she shrugged. "I should probably just leave it on."

"I really think you should take it off. It's basic hot tub etiquette," he teased as his hands kneaded her rear.

"Hot tub etiquette?" she repeated, linking her arms behind his neck.

"Uh huh, if the host isn't wearing a shirt, nobody can," he explained before leaning in to kiss her.

She turned her face at the last moment so his lips grazed off her cheek. "That your rule for everyone that comes in here?"

"Nope." His right hand crept under the water to play with the hem of her shirt, while he nibbled on her bottom lip. "Just my super sexy girlfriend."

Moaning, she parted her lips, allowing his tongue to slip inside as his hand crept under her shirt to cup her breast. She arched into him, her hips rocking forward as her head dropped back, breaking their kiss. She cried his name as his lips hovered at her neck while his knuckles grazed her nipple. Abruptly, he pulled back, removing his hand and looking at her face with a smirk.

"Why'd you stop?" she whined, trying to draw his hand back to her breast.

"Not sure I can keep going baby," he murmured turning his head to kiss along the fingers of the hand she still had on his shoulder. "You're still wearing your shirt, and that's against the rules."

"Finn," she whimpered, trying to direct his attention back to her breasts. "I think you should make an exception for me."

"Not to mention these," he said as he ran his fingertip along the edge of her panties, sliding them to the side as he caressed her slick folds. "I believe these are banned too."

"Yeah?" she murmured, fisting her hands in his hair to pull his mouth to hers. "Would a kiss help get them allowed?"

"Maybe." His lips crashed onto hers as he eased his finger inside her once, curling it and circling it before withdrawing it to her dismay. She pulled his mouth back to hers as he scooted backwards, settling onto the bench with Rachel in his lap. The new position allowed Rachel's torso to be out of the water and he grinned at her breasts showing through the wet t-shirt. He lifted his hand from the water and lazily traced each breast, well aware of the little whimpers coming from Rachel.

"_Finn_…" She trailed off, biting her lip as he traced a nipple through her shirt.

His fingers skimmed along the soft skin of her shoulder, tracing the lace strap of her tank. He watched her eyes darken as he tugged the strap off her shoulder and down her arm. He repeated the process on her other arm, lowering it but not removing it.

His right arm snaked around her waist, holding her in place while he lowered his head to kiss the skin he'd just uncovered. "Sure you don't want to take it off baby?" he murmured between kisses.

"Hmm?" she breathed, unable to concentrate as he kissed down to the top of her tank, which was still molded to her breasts.

"Sure?" He lifted her slightly, holding her core close to his erection as he lowered her tank below her breasts. Allowing himself to stare at her for a moment, he grinned at the fact that she was all his before closing his mouth around her nipple. His hand left her rear end to again slip inside her panties and into her wet center.

Her nails dug into his shoulder as her hips moved against his hand circling in a desperate search for release. His thumb flicked over her sensitive bundle of nerves, making her cry out. "Oh! _Finn_!"

Encouraged by her cries, he continued to pump his fingers inside her as he switched his mouth to her other breast. Rachel's hands held his head firmly to her breast, pulling on tufts of hair as she writhed from his actions.

"Oh _God_! Finn!" She felt everything in her body tense as she neared her release, her cries coming faster. "There, baby, _yes_!"

He felt her walls begin to clench and grazed his thumb over her bundle of nerves, causing her to come undone. He continued his stroking as she came, wanting her to feel every bit of pleasure she could. Pulling his face from her breast, he nibbled on her neck for a moment before placing open mouthed kisses up to her lips, swallowing her moan.

Breathless, she separated her lips from his to stare at him. Her hand traced over his chest, finding his heart beating as fast as hers. "You have very talented fingers, Mr. Hudson."

"Mhmm," he murmured, burying his face back in her throat as he tried to move her tank top lower down her body. Frustrated at his lack of progress, he lifted his head and studied her taking in her flushed cheeks, naked breasts, shirt bunched at her middle and soaked panties. He leaned forward, kissing her once more as he attempted to push her shirt down off her body.

Giggling, Rachel pushed him away slightly before sliding off his lap and standing up, the tank top plastered to her stomach. She backed up until she felt the opposite bench behind her, quickly climbing on to stand on it as she stared at him.

"What are you doing, baby?" he asked, standing up also and moving towards her. He paused when she held up a hand, stopping him in the center of the hot tub.

"I just want to make sure the duck sees I'm following rules," she announced, a coquettish tone to her voice as she deftly slid the tank down and pulling it and her panties off her legs. She tossed the garments to the side of the hot tub as she stared at him, gesturing to her nude body. "Better baby? Is this acceptable now?"

"Much," he agreed, closing the gap between them to pull her against him, laying his lips at her ear before kissing the soft skin beneath it. "Now that you're following rules, we can have some fun," he murmured against her skin.

"I already did," she teased as he lowered them back into the water. Her hand reached down between them to grip his length, stroking him a few times. "But I'm always ready for more."

"Good to know," he said, loving the feeling of her hand wrapped around him. "What did you have in mind?"

"How about a trip down memory lane?" She smiled at him, guiding him towards her entrance. "A little locker room reenactment perhaps?"

He grinned, pulling her face to his for a kiss as he slipped into her, burying himself to the hilt. "You know I'm always up for that."

"Mmm. I can tell." Rachel threw her head back in ecstasy as he filled her, loving it just as much as she had that first time. She kissed him feverishly, rocking her hips against his restlessly. "_Oooh_."

"God baby, you feel amazing," he moaned, his hands guiding her on his lap.

"_Ooooh_. So good, baby." Rachel pulled his hands off her waist, bringing them to her breasts as a silent directive to commence fondling. He happily complied, just about to take a nipple in his mouth when the intercom buzzed.

_"Open up Huddy. Need to borrow your hot tub for a bit; mine's busted."  
_  
"Don't worry about him," Finn murmured as he kissed her chest. "If I don't answer, he'll go away."

Too in the mood to question him, she moaned in agreement, moving her hands with his on her breasts. "_Ooooh_."

_"What the fuck? Stop humping Berry and open the damn gate! I've got some seriously sore muscles thanks to Karofsky sacking me."_

Puck's latest intercom interruption seemed to get Rachel's attention because she stilled her movements, holding his hands against her breasts as she looked at Finn in horror. "I thought you said he'd go away?"

"He will. Now where were we?" He squeezed her breasts and attempted to resume his kissing, only to have her pull away when the intercom buzzed again.

"_Come on! I'm not fucking kidding! You saw Karofsky nail me! That fucker was pissed he got smoked on that QB sneak."_

"Baby, he'll go away," Finn promised, moving his hands to her waist to get her moving again.

_"Dude, seriously open the hell up. I know you're home; you said you were going home after practice. Plus, the Porsche is right in the driveway as well as Berry's clown car. If you're gonna try and pull the I'm not home routine, you need to put the cars in the garage, Dipshit!"_

"Oh God, he's not going away!" Rachel moaned. Frantic, she climbed off his lap, making her way to the edge of the hot tub. "He knows we're here!"

"Rachel, it's fine, I'm telling you. He can't get in. Now come back," he whined, feeling a serious case of blue balls coming on.

"Absolutely not. We've already been caught naked once today. That's enough." Rachel climbed out of the hot tub and began picking up her clothes.

Helpless, Finn dropped his head back against the stone and sighed, cursing the day he'd ever met Puck, particularly when the intercom buzzed yet again.

"_Dude! Come on! What the fuck are you doing?"_

"Finn! You need to get out!" Rachel griped as she frantically grabbed her wet clothes and attempted to wring out her shirt.

"That's not going to work baby girl," he told her as he climbed out himself.

"I don't have a choice, Finn," she cried, frantically trying to wring out her shirt.

"Babe, just go inside and dry off," he urged. "I'll hold him off."

"If I'm walking around naked, he's going to know!" she sniped, still trying to get the water out of her shirt. "Not to mention that you're also naked and still aroused."

"Then let's go inside and change," he explained calmly, even though his arousal was becoming painful. "I won't let him in till you're in the bedroom ok?"

She nodded quickly, holding her wet clothes to her as she darted inside the house. Finn grabbed his shorts and boxers Rachel had left on the chaise, following Rachel's wet footprints through the kitchen and into the bedroom, hitting the gate button as he passed and frowning when he realized that Rachel had gone into the adjoining bathroom and shut the door. Fortunately, she hadn't locked it and he slipped in, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Baby? You ok?"

"Are you _still_ aroused?" she asked in amazement, feeling his hardness pressing against her as she hung her wet clothes up to dry. "Shouldn't you have deflated by now?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well you running naked through the house didn't help."

She slipped out of his arms to face him. "You better do something about that before Noah sees."

"You want me to get rid of him?" he asked hopefully. "Then you could help me."

"Of course not! You heard him; he needs to use the hot tub. I'm sure his muscles are just as sore as yours," Rachel replied. "I'm going to get changed."

Sighing, he waited until she'd walked back into the bedroom to reach down and finish what they'd started himself. Relieved, he walked back into the bedroom and over to his bureau, pulling out a bathing suit to put on. Rachel was nowhere to be seen and he stepped over to the closet, correctly assuming he'd find her in there. Sure enough, a still naked Rachel was frantically yanking open the drawers in the section of closet he'd given her and he paused in the doorway to watch just as Puck began calling his name through the house.

"Coming dude!" he called back. He turned back to Rachel, walking into the closet and over to her. He tipped her chin up to look at him, placing a kiss on her lips. "I'll distract him. Come back outside when you're ready."

"I can't find the bra to go with this dress!" she whispered, afraid Noah might hear. "Go out there before he comes in here to find you."

"Got it." He placed another kiss against her lips before he headed out in search of Puck.

"Where the fuck were you?" Puck demanded as Finn walked into the kitchen. "I had two leg cramps waiting out there!"

Finn ignored him, opening the fridge.

"Grab me a beer while you're in there," Puck decreed as he dropped his bag onto the counter. He was already dressed in his swim trunks and a t-shirt, ready for the hot tub. "I'll meet you outside."

Finn rolled his eyes and pulled out two beers before closing the fridge. Puck had disappeared outside and he followed, his eyes adjusting to the dusk enough to see Puck already in the hot tub. "Here," he said as he handed one to Puck and climbed back in.

"Thanks," Puck replied as he took the bottle, placing it on the stone ledge. "Where's Rachel?"

"She's inside," he replied. "She was doing something in the closet."

"Yeah? That mean you?" Puck smirked.

"Ass." Finn rolled his eyes, stretching his arms along the stone.

"I see you got some extra hits after practice," Puck commented before taking a pull of his beer. "Karofsky's bruises weren't enough huh?"

Finn looked at his chest, seeing the marks Rachel had left before he shrugged. "Jealous?"

"Fuck no. I do the marking. I don't get marked," he boasted. "Berry's just marking her territory and no woman claims me."

"Is that right?" Finn asked casually, his mind replaying what Rachel had told him about Quinn. "What about that odd shaped bruise you _claimed_ wasn't a hickey last week?"

"Fuck off. I told you, I tried to iron my shirt while I was wearing it."

Knowing that not even Puck was that stupid enough to try that, Finn took a long swig of his beer, trying to figure out how to respond to that but before he could, Rachel came back outside and made her way over to the hot tub.

"Oh, here comes Berry," Puck announced, stating the obvious.

"Hi Noah," Rachel said casually as she approached the hot tub, now wearing a sundress printed with hearts. She walked towards Finn's side of the tub and stood awkwardly for a moment.

"S'up Rachel," Puck nodded in her direction. "Glad you've made time in your busy closet banging schedule to join us."

"What are you talking about?" She glanced at Finn in confusion. "I just came by to see how Finn was feeling."

"I'd say he was feeling pretty good, judging by the Berry bruises he has," Puck replied smirking as Rachel flushed. "And don't lie. My boy just slipped about you doing him in the closet."

"Dude, why do you have to be like that?" Finn asked, splashing water at Puck. He turned to look up at Rachel, who was biting her lip in embarrassment. "Ignore him baby. He has no filter. That's why he's always in trouble with the media."

"You wish you got as much media coverage as I do," he replied, splashing water back at Finn. "Have a seat Berry. I think Finn was in here before, since the ground's kind of wet, but there must be a dry spot somewhere." He peered at the stone surrounding the hot tub. "The fuck were you doing in here to soak the ground so much? Making a wave pool?"

"It doesn't matter, I really should be going. I'll feel better now knowing you're here with Finn," Rachel replied, her hand massaging Finn's scalp as she talked to Puck.

"You should stay," Puck persisted. "Then Finn and I won't look gay hot tubbing together."

"I'm sure you've done that before," she bristled, her hand still running through Finn's hair. She rolled her eyes. "And I'll assure you it doesn't make you gay."

"Really, you should stay," Puck invited with a shake of his head. "Hot tub etiquette."

She glanced at Finn, a conspiratory smile on her face. "That right? I've been hearing a lot about this hot tub etiquette."

"Two dudes shouldn't be using the hot tub together unless there's a woman in there too," he explained.

"My fathers use the hot tub together all the time," she replied, spying a dry spot next to Finn. Carefully, she sat down, bunching her dress up to her thighs to stick her legs in the water. Finn's hand automatically reached out to rub her knee.

"Think about that for a moment," Puck replied, smirking when she realized she'd proved his point.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed lightly. "Well, regardless, I'm sure you've used the hot tub together plenty of times."

"Always better with a chick, right Huddy?" he looked to Rachel as he continued. "Unless you can't handle seeing the Puckzilla awesomeness without comparing it to Huddy's fat ass."

"Finn is not a fat ass," she replied heatedly. "His ass happens to be proportionate to his size."

Puck smirked, taking another swig of beer. "Yeah? What size you talking about?"

"Dude!" Finn cried. "Stop talking about my ass!"

"Besides, you're one to talk about hot tub etiquette. I notice you've failed to adhere to the duck," she added, pointing to the duck Finn had showed her before. "You've failed to strip and dip."

Puck followed her gaze. "That sign's for chicks. You want to strip and dip, I got no problems with that."

"Not gonna happen, Puck," Finn cut in, his hand rubbing Rachel's knee a little harder. "Rachel's clothes are staying on."

"Well don't think I'm stripping down to sword fight with you," he retorted. "It's bad enough that we're in the tub and she's outside it."

Rachel giggled a little. "It does seem kind of gay. Maybe I should call the media and tip them off."

"Glad you're finally seeing the light," Puck crowed, holding his beer out in salute. "So get either get a suit on or strip down and join us. People will think we're having a devil's threeway instead. Hudson's already got the marks to make it seem plausible."

"What people? It's just the three of us here," Rachel commented, ignoring his dig.

"Word gets out about this, it's changing to a devil's threeway," Puck decided. "I'm sick of hearing about Karofsky's."

Finn smirked. "He left out the part about crossing swords and liking it."

Rachel wrinkled her nose, pulling her legs out of the water. "Ew. You boys are getting a little too boyish for me. I'm going to go."

Finn stood up in the water, wrapping his arm around Rachel's waist, ignoring her protests about him being wet to pull her flush against him. "You sure you don't want to change into your suit?"

She looked up at him questioningly before shaking her head no. "I really should go; you had a long day and you have that scrimmage tomorrow." She looped her arms around his neck. "I'll just grab my shoes and go ok?"

"Your loss Rachel," Puck commented from behind them.

Rachel peeked around Finn to stare at him. "I think I'll survive never hearing about Karofsky's threesome, Noah."

"You sure you don't want to stay?" Finn asked gently, turning her head back towards him. He placed a soft kiss against her lips. "Please?"

"No, I really should go home," she responded, returning his kiss with one of her own.

"Ok baby girl," he told her as he lowered his lips to her ear. "I'm going to miss you tonight."

A smile spread across Rachel's face. "Call me later?"

"Absolutely," he murmured. "You know how much I hate the thought of you in that bed alone?"

"Not as I hate being in there alone. I'd much rather feel you cuddled up behind me," she replied, pressing a few soft kisses against his lips for emphasis.

"So don't go. Stay and I'll cuddle you all you want." He pulled her even closer, trailing kisses along her jaw. Completely forgetting about Puck, he started kissing her neck in an attempt to convince her to stay.

"You should take him up on that Berry. Hudson's afraid of the dark, so he'll hold onto you all night."

Startled, Finn pulled his face from Rachel's neck and placed his head on her shoulder. "Dude, this cockblocking's really getting old."

"Fuck you talking about?"

"Ok; I really should go," she announced, afraid of what was going to come out. She wiggled out of Finn's arms after giving him a chaste peck.

"I'll walk you out," he offered, already climbing out of the hot tub.

"I know the way," she teased before waving at Puck. "Bye Noah!" she called out, smiling as he waved back. "Talk to you later Tigger," she whispered, running a finger along his stomach before walking away.

Finn watched her walk into the house before turning and jumping back into the hot tub, resuming his place across from Puck. "Thanks a lot man. Now I gotta sleep alone tonight."

"Not my problem. She could have stripped and stayed." He finished off his beer, placing it on the ledge with a burp. "I'd have no objections to that. She's got a hot body, even if she doesn't have the rack."

"Stop checking my girlfriend out," Finn snapped. A smile appeared on his face at the word _girlfriend_.

"Girlfriend?" Puck asked, honing on that little detail.

"Yes, girlfriend." His smile grew as he played with his beer bottle.

"Congrats man. Sandy's gonna be jealous," Puck replied, smirking. "Berry leave with your balls in her purse?"

"You're one to talk," Finn commented, bringing his beer to his lips.

"Fuck's that mean?" Puck demanded.

Finn shrugged, enjoying messing with Puck's mind. "I'm just saying. You've been MIA a lot."

"I've been busy. Season's about to start," he replied evenly, adding a shrug for effect.

"Uh huh." Finn smirked over his beer bottle. "You sure that's all it is?"

"Course it is. Unlike you, I actually have a lot of plays to memorize," he snapped.

"I know you do. I don't know how you manage all those dates," Finn replied devilishly. "It would probably be easier if you just had one girlfriend."

"And have to hand my balls over like you? No thanks," he retorted. "She let you take a shit by yourself?"

"Shut up." Finn splashed water at him as he stretched his arms out against the stone. "It feels pretty damn good having a girlfriend. She wants to watch me take a shit, she can."

"Ok, I think my theory about two men in a hot tub being gay is proving true. Enough of this feelings shit," Puck announced, standing up. "Let's go play some video games, unless you have to go crochet something with Rachel."

Finn shrugged as he stood up also. "Well thanks to you, Rachel is sleeping at her apartment tonight, so I've got plenty of time to kick your ass in Madden."

He followed Puck inside, his mind whirling. Puck had a big mouth, sooner or later he'd spill about Quinn. Usually, Puck loved to rub it in his face about his conquests but he wasn't doing that here. He still had a few more tricks he could try to get him to spill and one of them was bound to work.

If not, he could always ask his girlfriend for advice.

* * *

**A/N: Well our couple has finally figured out Puck and Quinn are together..yay! As always, thanks for the read and feel free to review.**

**Mida212-Thanks a million times over for dealing with the numerous drafts of this…and gleekky4lc I hope you noticed your spot ;) **


	13. Game On

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee :(**

* * *

"Come on, last half mile," Blaine encouraged, offering Rachel a water bottle.

"Shut. Up," Rachel puffed, trying to conserve her breath to power through the last stretch of the Slacker Special. She sprinted the last half mile of her ten miles before slowing to a jog, then a walk to allow her body to start to cool down. Finished, she leaned forward, her right hand on her knees as she blindly reached for the water bottle Blaine held. When she felt him place it in her hand she stood up and lifted the bottle to her lips, drinking deeply to try and ease the burning in her throat and lungs.

"You ok?" Blaine asked, tossing her a towel.

Rachel wiped her face, breathing deeply as she nodded. "Just sick of doing the stupid Special."

"I bet," he said with a sympathetic smile. "But your time on the treadmill has improved each day, if that makes you feel any better."

"That's something I guess," she said with a roll of her eyes, tossing the towel into the bin by the door. "I really don't think it was necessary to make me do it every day just because I have my period."

"Be glad I talked her out of additional miles each day," Blaine cautioned her. "You know this is one of her top offenses."

"I owe you." She shuddered at the thought as she picked up her bag.

"See you tomorrow," he called out as she reached for the door.

"I hope not," she shot back, waving as she left the room. Anxious to leave, she made her way to the Flight Crew locker room and showered quickly before grabbing her things from her locker, pulling her suitcase behind her with one hand as her other automatically checked her phone. Seeing she had a text from Finn she smiled, fingers flying as she replied, telling him she'd be at his house soon. She reached her car, setting her suitcase in the back before settling in the front. Her phone rang as she started to pull out of her spot, the sounds of "A Star is Born" making her smile as she pressed accept and placed the call on speaker. "Hello?"

"_Rachela!"_

"Hi Daddy," she said warmly. "How are you?"

"_Good, sweetie. How are you? Excited for this weekend?"_

"Yes," she replied, turning out of the stadium to head towards the freeway. "You and Dad are coming to the game on Sunday right?"

_"Wouldn't miss it. I wish I could come down to Times Square tomorrow-"_

"Daddy, it'll be crazy crowded," she reminded him, merging onto the freeway. "You'll be able to see it better on TV I'm sure."

"_I've already got the DVR set to record it too so your Dad can watch of course."_

"Of course," Rachel smiled.

_"I can't wait to see the routine! It's about time you were in that show group! Sue should be having you choreograph those routines."_

"Daddy," she sighed. "I just made Show Group, she's not going to let me choreograph."

_"We still need to celebrate you being selected you know."_

"I know Daddy, I've just been really busy." She turned off of the freeway, heading towards Finn's subdivision.

_"I know, sweetie, between all the practices and your new boyfriend-"_

"Daddy-"

"_Who your father and I have yet to meet."_

"He's been really busy too," Rachel reminded him, pressing the remote above the visor and pulling into Finn's driveway.

"_Maybe after the game Sunday? Practices should calm down for both of you right since the season starts?"_

"I don't know what his practice schedule will be next week Daddy," she hedged.

_"Well you check with him. Your Dad and I are free for dinner all next week."_

"Alright, I'll check with him and let you know, ok?" Rachel parked next to Finn's Porsche, turning off her car as she waited for her Daddy's response.

"_Good. We can't wait to meet him. And see you of course."_

"Of course Daddy," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I'll let you know this weekend ok?"

"_Alright. Dad and I will brainstorm restaurants."_

"No!" she cried. "You know we can't go to a restaurant."

"_Oh! I almost forgot. Dad and I will plan the menu then. Call you later to discuss recipes?"_

Rachel climbed out of the car and grabbed her suitcase. "Ok, I'll talk to you soon then Daddy. Love you."

"_Love you too Pumpkin. Night."_

"Night," Rachel responded, ending the call as she entered the house. She set her purse on the kitchen counter and pulled her suitcase towards the bedroom, setting it off to the side. Hearing the sound of the TV coming from the master bath, she grabbed her pajamas from the dresser drawer and walked to the bathroom where Finn was relaxing in the bathtub while watching Sports Center.

"Hey baby," Finn said, his lips curving up into a smile as Rachel entered the bathroom. He reached for the TV remote, automatically muting it as he sat up a little straighter in the warm bubbling water. "Wanna join me? I'll turn the iPod on," he enticed.

Rachel perched on the ledge surrounding the tub, leaning over to give him a kiss hello before she stood back up, shaking her head negatively as she pressed a hand to her stomach. "As much as I'd love to, I'm going to pass."

"I'll let you pick the song," he offered, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'd even be willing to listen to those super sappy love songs you like."

"Mmm. You know how much I love to use that awesome feature…" she smiled, remembering how the tub vibrated along to the music from the iPod and the fun they'd had with it. "…but I'm still not ready for that."

Finn pouted at her sympathetically. "Well that sucks."

"I just wish it weren't this week. I've had to do the stupid Slacker Special all week since I forgot to skip the placebos in my birth control pack and Sue's worried I'll be too bloated to fit in my costume." She pulled her hair into a messy ponytail as she walked over to the double sinks to begin removing her makeup.

Watching her from the tub, Finn shook his head. "I don't get why she wants you to skip pills."

"She doesn't want us on our periods while we have televised appearances," Rachel explained. "So if you skip the placebo pill at the end of a pack and go right to the first regular pill of a new pack, you'll skip a period. She keeps a chart in her office of our cycles-it's a little scary."

"You can do that? Just skip a period?" Finn asked, cocking his head to look at her.

"Yeah," Rachel replied with a shrug. "I'm used to only paying attention to the game schedule since I've never been part of the show group before, so I forgot about these extra TV appearances."

"So we could be having sex all the time during the season?" he questioned excitedly. "No getting cockblocked by your period?"

"Oh I'll still have my period. It'll just be scheduled to coincide with away weeks, which means you'll be around for part of it." She stared at him in the mirror as she scrubbed her face. "I can't say I'm unhappy about that. It'll give us more time to cuddle and talk."

He sunk lower in the water, pouting. "We talk all the time. Every night before bed, every morning _in_ bed, breakfast, dinner…"

"Do you not want to talk to me?" she asked through the mirror, an annoyed look on her face.

"No, baby no," he backtracked, sensing another side effect of her being on her period. "You know I love talking to you and cuddling."

"Good. It's nice to know someone's not mad at me for not skipping the placebos."

"I still don't think she should make you do the slacker for that." He stretched his arms out, resting them on the surface around the tub.

"Hopefully I won't have to tomorrow since the Times Square kickoff will be over."

"What song are you guys doing? She letting you do _Don't Stop Believing_ again?" Finn asked curiously.

"No, we just did that for AM New York." She paused. "I think you should know that you've officially moved to the top of Sue's list of people she wants to kill as of today."

He gulped. "What did I do? I haven't even seen her."

"She was going to use _Shook Me All Night Long_ but Holly reminded her it was your touchdown song," Rachel replied, bending over the sink to splash water on her face. She stood up and turned to face him. "Sue's furious. She called Sandy right then demanding you change your song and even had Will brought in. He just laughed though."

"Are you kidding?"

"Nope," she said with a shake of her head. "She made us all tell her a replacement touchdown song for you before we left today and said she'd make Sandy use whichever she hated the most. You'd better lay low."

"That's-"

"Awful, I know," Rachel frowned. "Especially since my song is too good for her to hate."

Intrigued, Finn pushed up a little higher in the tub. "Yeah? What'd you suggest?"

"_The One_." She beamed. Noticing his confused expression, she sighed before singing the chorus. "I'll be the one/I'll be the one/who will make all your sorrows undone/I'll be the light-"

"Hang on," he interrupted, his hand shooting forward to silence her. "Isn't that a boy band song?"

"Not just _any_ boy band. It's the Backstreet Boys," she breathed. "And it's so perfect. That's why it sucks she won't pick it."

"What did everyone else pick?" Finn asked warily, already picturing the boos raining down from the stands when the fans heard the song and the heckling he'd get from opposing teams.

"I don't know. It was secret ballot so only she and Quinn know."

"Wait, Quinn knows?"

"I already tried texting her Finn," Rachel said, anticipating his next suggestion. "She hasn't texted back yet-I'm sure she's with Noah even though she _still_ won't admit she's dating him. Did you have any luck getting him to crack?"

"Nope," Finn replied. "He took off right after practice, though he did look at me funny when I asked if he was rushing to make yoga class."

"You should call him," she said impulsively, resting her rear end against the countertop as her eyes narrowed. "Then I'll call her at the same time-"

"And we'll probably both go right to voicemail," he surmised with a shake of his head. "Puck won't admit anything over the phone Dee."

"You're right." She sighed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Just forget about it tonight." He rested his head against the cool tile for a second. "Maybe we'll get them to crack tomorrow."

"Oh I'll get her to crack," Rachel vowed, reaching down to the hem of her shirt and pulling it off her body. "But you're right. Enough about them. How was your day? Did you call the pool guy about scheduling the day he's coming to cover it?"

"No I didn't get a chance to," he replied, watching as she reached behind her and unhooked her bra.

"Don't worry, I'll do it tomorrow," she decided, pulling the bra off and setting it on the counter next to her shirt.

"I did pick up your dry cleaning though," he offered, enjoying her getting undressed. "It's in the closet."

"Thank you, baby." She smiled, letting her yoga pants drop to the floor and stepping out of them before she grabbed the rest of her clothes off the counter. "How was practice?"

"Fine. Just team meeting and a scrimmage. Will's more worried about the defense, since they came up with a bunch of new blocking patterns," he replied, ogling Rachel's ass as she bent over and grabbed the pants, walking over to deposit her clothes in the laundry chute.

"Well I'm sure they'll be fine," she predicted as she returned to the counter, reaching for her pajama bottoms to slide on. "Did you tell the trainer about the cramping you had last night?"

"Yeah, they massaged it and told me to soak in the tub," he answered, gesturing to the bubbling water surrounding him while watching her slip on her tank top. "But I told you. I think it was just from working with Beiste yesterday."

"As long as they're not concerned about it, I won't be," she decided, adjusting her shirt over her bottoms. "Oh! Get this! Kurt texted me on my break about having movie nights when you're on the road. Each trip will have a different theme so our first theme will be movies about road trips. Kurt wanted wedding, but I made the argument that road trip would be more appropriate and he finally gave in. Did he tell you?"

"Uh no. I didn't talk to him today. I did talk to my Pops though," he replied, busy reading the update on the bottom of the screen about the Texans injured list. "He asked if I was still dating the pretty cheerleader."

"He did?" She smiled at him through the mirror.

"Yep."

"Is he coming up for the game on Sunday?" She paused, her hand on her moisturizer bottle.

"No, but I got him NFL Network, so he'll be watching. He has a party every Sunday," he replied, sinking his shoulders under the water. "He and his buddies in his condo complex even tail gate."

"That's so cute." She smiled again, squeezing some moisturizer into her hands and rubbing them together.

"He also told me he'll be watching to see if I run into you again," he quipped. "He'll be excited when they zoom in on you."

"I'm sure he'd be more excited if they show you," Rachel reasoned. "And there's no guarantee the camera will catch me. They usually go for Holly or Quinn."

"So when you get on the jumbo-tron, I shouldn't smirk?"

"Not if you don't want me to be mad."

"Well I don't want that," Finn teased. "You know where you're cheering yet? My mom's hoping it's near her seats so she can take pictures."

"Oh they're coming?" She picked up her bottle of facial moisturizer as she stared at him in the mirror. "My dads are coming too."

"Yeah, Mom, Burt and Kurt are all coming." He tore his eyes from the TV. "Your dads are coming to Opening Day?"

"They come to all the home games-they missed that first preseason game since they were on their Oprah cruise," she said idly, rubbing moisturizer into her face. "Daddy was so distraught. I talked to him today actually and they want to have dinner next week."

"Yeah?" Finn asked, idly checking the crawler on the bottom of the TV.

"Yes; I told Daddy I'd check to see what day worked best. Do you have any afternoon practices next week?"

"No, we're done by 3 all week," he replied with a confused smile. "But that doesn't matter for when you want to have dinner with your dads, babe. I'll just eat what my mom leaves me."

"It does since they want you to come too," she replied, putting her moisturizers in the cabinet.

"They want me to come to dinner?" Finn asked, shifting slightly in the tub to sit up straighter, causing water to slosh over the side.

"Yes why do you sound so surprised? They've been dying for a chance to meet you!"

"They have?" He swallowed thickly.

"Yes. So is Wednesday ok then? I know we'll have late practice Monday at least, maybe Tuesday," Rachel said while pulling her hair from the messy ponytail she'd put it in and picking up her brush to comb her hair out. "Friday and Saturday are completely out since we're doing dress rehearsals. And if we get out early enough Thursday, it's Cuddle Night, so Wednesday really works best."

"Wednesday? Um," he paused, his stomach twisting slightly. "Wednesday like this Wednesday?"

"Yes, this Wednesday. That's ok right?" She continued brushing her hair as she turned to face him. "It'll be fun!"

"Fun," he repeated dully, turning off the TV and reaching for a towel as he stood up.

"Yes, fun," she replied, eyeing him carefully. "Don't you _want_ to meet my dads?"

"Of course-"

"I mean, I've met your family already," she pointed out with a frown, putting the brush down and facing the mirror again.

"That was totally different," Finn stressed, shaking his head at her as he stepped out of the tub and began drying off.

"Really? Because I not only met your mom, dad and brother but had to deal with Noah too," she reminded him. "You only have my dads."

"Right, dads. As in two." He wrapped the towel around his waist and crossed to stand behind her.

"I met three people, technically four if you're counting Noah," she repeated. "_And _I was secretly ambushed by your brother."

"You're right," he agreed, settling his hands on her ribcage before smoothing them down her front, ending at her stomach. He dropped a kiss on her shoulder. "I'm just nervous."

Rachel turned in his arms, setting her hands on his shoulders. "You have nothing to worry about. I'll be there the whole time and they're going to love you."

"So Wednesday?" he repeated.

"Yes," she nodded in assurance, rising up on her toes to peck her lips against his. "You're going to love them."

"That's not what I'm worried about," he said before giving her a more lingering kiss.

Sighing contentedly, Rachel eased her lips from his and tilted her head back to look up at him. "I already told you, you have nothing to be worried about. I don't think they'll be up for a game of tackle football though after dinner. They prefer board games or charades."

Finn looked down at her, his eyebrows lifting. "Charades?"

"Yes, charades. It's a perfectly acceptable game for entertaining," she said seriously, her eyes lighting up as she stepped out of the circle of his arms. "We'll be partners of course."

"Of course," he replied, his stomach twisting again nervously.

"I'm going to call Daddy right now and tell him when we're coming," Rachel beamed as she hurried out the bathroom door, heading to the dresser to grab her phone and dial.

"Awesome," Finn murmured with a shake of his head, tossing his damp towel into the laundry chute. He followed her into the bedroom, pulling out a pair of pajama pants and t-shirt as she began to talk. Dressing quickly, he dropped a kiss on her hair and walked from the room heading towards the kitchen to get them each a drink. He smiled at their picture as he opened the door and reached inside, grabbing a Gatorade and a bottle of water before closing the door with his elbow. Her voice floated down the hall as he went into the den, settling back onto the couch and turning on the TV as he waited for her. He looked up from the TV when he heard her voice getting louder as she made her way down the hall.

"Yes Daddy, next Wednesday ok?...Italian sounds great-Finn's not fussy…" Her voice cut off as she entered the den, nodding at whatever her dad was saying. "Sounds good Daddy…Ok, I love you too. Night." She hung up the phone beaming. "We're all set for Wedneday."

"Great." He stretched his arm out across the back of the couch in invitation, smiling when she nestled into his side and draped her legs over his.

"Daddy's _so_ excited to meet you." Reaching behind her she pulled on the Tigger blanket, removing it from the back of the couch and smoothing it over their laps. He automatically dropped his arm to wrap around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him as she rested her head against his shoulder while her feet snuck between his legs to bury her toes under his thigh. "Did I miss any of your show when I was on the phone?"

"No, it's about to start right now," Finn said, turning the TV to CBS as the opening for _Person of Interest_ began. "And it's my show, huh?"

"It's not my favorite show," she shrugged, her eyes glued to the screen. "Even if the guy from _Lost_ is on it."

"Who? Finch?"

"Not the cute guy. The guy with the glasses who has the machine. He was Ben on Lost."

"That's Finch." He looked down at her, his free hand beginning to tickle her stomach. "And what do you mean, cute guy?"

"Mr. Reese. John, right?" she asked as she giggled.

"Funny you know his name and not anyone else's," he commented as he continued to tickle her.

"You're missing the show." She squirmed, catching his hand in hers to stop his tickling. Satisfied he was watching, she rested her head back against his shoulder and stared at the TV, waiting for a commercial before asking her next question. "Ok so here's what I don't get. How does the machine know when someone is in trouble?"

"I don't know," Finn replied absently, running his hand over Rachel's arm.

"We'll it's just stupid. The machine gives a number, the person is always miraculously easy to find and then Mr. Reese saves them."

"Do I say anything about that dorky host on _Iron Chef_ who makes those stupid faces?" he questioned, his eyes following the action on the screen.

"He's recreating the words of his uncle!" Rachel chided. "Those faces are necessary!"

"Still stupid."

"Now who's this person?" she asked, watching as a woman came on the screen flashing an FBI badge.

"We went through this last week. That's Carter."

"This is why I like _Iron Chef_," Rachel decided. "I know who the Iron Chefs are-unlike the characters on this show."

"_Iron Chef's_ a lot like Person of Interest. Think of the machine as the secret ingredient, then the team as the Iron Chef and their sous chefs."

Rachel tilted her head in consideration of his words. "I can see your point. I still don't quite get how the machine picks people or how they know if the person is a threat or a target, but I can see your point."

"Yeah well I still don't get why if the Iron Chef loses the person challenging him doesn't become the next Iron Chef-" he stopped talking, heaving a sigh as his cell phone rang.

"Who's calling you now?" she asked, trying to read the screen as he grabbed his phone.

"It's Santana. Hang on." Finn rolled his eyes as he turned the volume on the TV down. "Hello?"

"_About time Lurch. I need those contracts from Nike for my lunch meeting tomorrow. You signed them right?"_

"Yeah, I signed them." He rubbed his hand over Rachel's leg as he returned his gaze to the TV screen, the sound of high heels clicking on the hardwood floor of the hallway going unnoticed as he watched the action on the screen. Feeling Rachel tense beside him, he squeezed her leg reassuringly, assuming she was cringing at the violence on the TV. "You want me to drop them by on the way to the stadium?"

"_No need, you can just get them for me now." _

Santana's words reached his ears about two seconds before her body came into view in the doorway. She ended the call, dropping her phone back into her purse as she eyed the pair on the couch. "Well what do we have here?"

"Haven't we had the conversation about barging in before?" Finn demanded, his hand still on Rachel's leg.

"Hey, you being in the shower last time was more traumatic for me than for you," she retorted, eyeing Rachel. "But we have bigger problems than your pale ass scarring me for life. Something you forget to tell me, Lurch?"

"Obviously not the code to the gate," he muttered with a shake of his head.

"Bravo. Your comebacks are getting better." She gave a mock clap. "And who's your little friend?"

Finn sighed, rubbing Rachel's leg. "Rach, this is my agent Santana Lopez, Santana, this is-"

"Save it Tubbs. I know who she is," Santana cut in, her eyes moving over Rachel critically. "You're one of the cheerleaders, right?"

"I am." She looked at Finn, unsure of what to do. "I'm-"

"I should have known. You always did have a thing for cheerleaders." She smirked, her eyes darting back to Finn.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rachel asked, looking to Finn as she tried to move her legs so she could sit up properly on the couch.

"Nothing," Finn assured her, squeezing her knee as he glared at Santana.

"You've really downgraded in pompom size," Santana observed, wiping an imaginary speck off her suit.

"I think it's an upgrade, since Rachel's are real," Finn replied cryptically.

Confused by the conversation, Rachel took in Santana's beautifully tailored suit and stilettos, suddenly wishing she were wearing anything but her kitten pajamas, even if they were super cute since the kittens were all eating ice cream cones. "I like your-"

"How long has this," Santana waved her hand at Finn and Rachel. "Been going on exactly?"

Finn pulled Rachel close, ignoring her attempt to move away. "Since after training camp."

Santana raised an eyebrow as she stared at them coolly. "And it didn't occur to you to let me know you were dating someone on the Crew?"

"We're keeping it quiet," he defended.

"Quiet enough that nobody knows?" She watched the pair look at each other. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Who knows, Tubbs?"

"Puck," Finn muttered, answering to the insult.

"I figured as much. At least he's got practice keeping this sort of thing quiet. Who else?"

"Wait-what do you mean?" Rachel interjected.

"My parents and Kurt," Finn continued, missing Rachel's comment. "And Rachel's dads know."

"Well that's certainly keeping it quiet," Santana said sarcastically.

"And my best friend Quinn knows," Rachel said a little louder, trying to see if Santana would bring up Puck again.

"Nobody will say anything," Finn replied quickly, his hand rubbing lazily over Rachel's arm.

"Sure," Santana scoffed. "Does Sandy know? Because I'm not sure I could get another deal with him-"

"No," he assured her. "Just who we said."

"And your coach doesn't know?" she demanded, looking at Rachel.

"No!" Rachel insisted, growing agitated at the fact that Santana didn't believe them. "Just our parents, Kurt, and Puck and Quinn," she said, deliberately linking Puck and Quinn's names.

Seemingly unfazed by Rachel's attitude, Santana nodded. "You better keep me in the loop, Tubbs. You putting a raincoat on each time?"

"That's none of your business, Santana," Rachel cut in, mortified she was asking about their sex life.

"Oh but it is," Santana retorted. "So what is it, Puffs?"

"No condoms, just the pill," he replied, rubbing Rachel's leg. "But Rachel's right. It really is none of your business."

"Talk to me when I have to restructure for child support," she replied airily. "Now why do I not have Nike contracts in my hand?"

"It's just in the office. I'll be right back." He stood, squeezing Rachel's hand before leaving the room.

Santana watched him go before turning back to Rachel. "Let's cut to the chase."

"Huh?" Rachel asked, watching as Santana picked up a stuffed Tigger from an armchair and sat down.

"Have you moved in yet?"

Rachel shook her head in denial. "No."

"Good," Santana cut in. "That'll make things easier."

"It'll make what easier?" Rachel asked uneasily, unconsciously pulling at the hem of her pajama top.

"Don't play dumb. Whatever is going on here with Tubbs-"

"Finn. His name is Finn," Rachel interjected, annoyed with Santana's nicknames for him.

Narrowing her eyes, Santana considered Rachel. "Fine. Whatever is going on here is done. It could cause some serious problems for Finn and therefore serious problems for me. So you can take your little stuffed animals and ice cream cone eating kitten pajamas-"

"Problems for you?" Rachel sputtered. "In what way are you involved in our relationship?"

"If this gets out he could get benched and lose out on a ton of bonuses, you know. He loses bonuses, I lose money, which does not sit well with me," she explained. "I just bought a house in Alpine and I _refuse_ to downgrade to Hoboken just because he couldn't keep it in his pants around you."

"I could get in trouble too you know," Rachel shot back.

"Oh please, like what? You have to hang up your pompoms for a game? Do you even know how much Finn is worth and what'd he lose out on?"

"I'm not with him because of his money!"

"No?" Santana pursed her lips as she eyed Rachel. "Well I know you aren't with him because of his skills in the sack, so if it's not money you want, why are you with him?"

Rachel gasped at Santana's words, the urge to defend Finn overwhelming her. "Not that's it any of your business but I'll have you know Finn is an exceptional partner in the bedroom! Even so, I'm not with him just because of that either."

"Oh please. He's lame in the sack-I should know."

"How would you know?" Rachel shot back.

Santana smirked and tossed the stuffed Tigger from hand to hand. "You're not the only cheerleader in the room."

"You're lying," Rachel insisted. "Finn never mentioned you."

"Am I? Ask Finn," Santana taunted, crossing her legs. "Does he still look like he's choking on a hot dog when he comes?"

"I…" Rachel's jaw dropped before closing.

Santana smirked, pleased at Rachel's speechless reaction. "Thought so. Anyway, you say it's not his money and not his lame sex skills that are keeping you around. Let's hear why you claim you're with him."

"Again, not that it's your business-"

"My business is Finn, so it is my business."

Rachel talked over her as if Santana hadn't spoken. "But I'm with Finn because he's sweet, caring-"

"So is my Abuela's poodle," Santana said, her eyes flicking to the door to watch for Finn. "That doesn't mean you should date him."

"He makes me feel special," she continued as she stood. "And I just love being with him-even if we're not doing anything but watching crappy TV on a Thursday. I love-"

"Here you go Santana," Finn said, cutting Rachel off as she whirled to face him, surprise etched on her face.

Watching Rachel's face carefully Santana stood, taking the papers from Finn. "You signed them all right?"

"Yeah," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Good," she replied, flipping through them anyway just to be sure. Satisfied they were signed, she looked up at Finn. "I'll get you a copy after they sign."

"Sounds good."

"Well then, I'll leave you two to your TV watching," she said, making air quotes around TV watching.

"I'll walk you out," Finn announced, not wanting to take any chances that she'd say she was leaving and actually camp out instead.

Rachel watched with narrowed eyes as Finn placed his hand on Santana's back to lead her from the room. Santana's words about Finn's bedroom skills came flooding back to her and she hurried to the door and poked her head out to watch them go down the hall, just in time to hear their conversation.

"You seriously couldn't just hump and dump and get it out of your system?" Santana asked with a shake of her head.

"It's not like that," Finn snapped, pushing harder against her back to get her to move faster. "She's my girlfriend."

Santana pinched her nose in frustration. "Wait, did you seriously just say girlfriend?"

"Yes, because that's what she is."

"Do you not remember signing a contract that expressly forbids you to date members of the Crew?" Santana asked, coming to a halt as she crossed her arms and stared at him.

"I remember," he retorted. "And I also remember seeing you checking out one of the Crew members. So isn't that a bit of the pot calling the kettle-"

Santana rolled her eyes up at him. "My contract with you doesn't say I can't look at or date members of the Crew. Yours does."

"I'm aware." He turned her towards the door. "I'm also aware that you being here has caused me to miss my favorite show, so you really need to be going."

"You better be careful," she warned, stalking towards the door. "Sandy won't be so willing to make contract changes this time around."

"Wait you can change my contract?"

"No," she replied lowly as she turned to look at him. "So just be careful."

"We are," Finn assured her, cupping her elbow to make her face the door, unaware that Rachel was still watching.

"I'm not kidding, Tubbs-"

"I'm not either Santana. Goodnight," he said, closing the door firmly in her face and locking it. He waited until he heard her car start before heading back down the hall to the den, expecting to find Rachel on the couch. Surprised to see her putting the blanket back over the couch instead, he walked over and sat down, his arm again extended over the back of the couch. "Well, I guess we missed most of _Person of Interest_."

"I guess," she muttered as she looked down at him, images of how his hand had looked on Santana infiltrating her mind. "Though I think Santana was more interesting than the show, don't you?"

"Talking to Santana was annoying," he corrected. "I hate when she just pops in like that."

"How'd she get in anyway?" Rachel questioned, crossing to pick up the stuffed Tigger Santana had dropped on the floor. Setting him back in his rightful place next to Roo, she turned back to face Finn. "Does she know the code to the gate?"

"Yeah," Finn replied with a shrug.

"But Noah didn't know it," she frowned. "He had to ask to get buzzed in when he wanted to use the hot tub."

"Puck can barely remember his own gate code, he never remembers mine." He rolled his eyes. "Or maybe I didn't tell him the new one, I don't know. But Santana insists on knowing the codes in case there's an emergency or something."

"I bet she does," she replied under her breath.

"I'm sorry she interrupted cuddle time baby." He flipped the channel to the Food Network, patting the cushion beside him. "Come on, at least we can watch all of _Iron Chef_."

Ignoring his direction, she stayed standing. "You know, you never did tell me how you two met."

"No? She went to college with me and Puck," he answered vaguely. "Come on babe, it's going to start."

"So she was in a class with you?"

"No, she was one of the cheerleaders," Finn said, his eyes lighting up at a commercial for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

"So I heard," Rachel said coolly.

Puzzled by her tone he patted the cushion beside him again. "Baby, it's almost time for the secret ingredient. Aren't you going to sit?"

"No," she replied, turning on her heel and stalking out of the room.

"Where are you going? Are you sick?" he called after her, jumping up from the couch to follow her down the hall. "The show's about to start!"

"Watch it yourself," she yelled over her shoulder as she reached the bedroom. "Or better yet call Santana back-I'm sure she'd love to watch with you." Turning quickly, she slammed the door to the bedroom closed just as Finn reached it, his palm slapping against it.

"What are you talking about?" Finn asked through the door as he tried turning the doorknob, only to find she had locked the door. "Babe! Open the door!"

"_No!" _

Finn slapped his hand against the door in frustration. "Rachel, what's going on? Are you upset because Santana interrupted? Because I told you I was sorry about that-"

"_Like you don't know!"_

"I don't!" he yelled, his fingers combing through his hair. "Open the door so we can talk about it!"

_"No!" _

"Baby, weren't you just reading that Cosmo article to me last night about how important communication is in a relationship? You made me promise we'd always talk about problems remember?" He paused and waited for her reply, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he heard the click of the lock unlocking. Turning the handle, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, quickly striding to the bed where she was currently throwing her clothes from his drawers into a suitcase. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she replied, moving back to the dresser. "Packing."

He placed a hand on her arm, stopping her from moving. "No," he said firmly. "Talk to me."

Rachel looked down at the hand on her arm before looking up at him. "Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"About who?" he asked cautiously.

"Santana."

"Santana? Baby, I told you she was my agent-"

"You didn't tell me you'd slept with her when you told me she was your agent," she replied hotly, yanking her arm from his grip and stalking back to the dresser.

"She told you that?" he asked incredulously.

"She did." She yanked open her drawer. "Funny you didn't mention that before."

"Rachel, I _did_ tell you about her," he explained, his hands again running through his hair.

"Really?" Rachel scoffed with a roll of her eyes, haphazardly tossing a bra and panty set to the bed. "I don't think I'd forget that, Finn."

"I did," Finn stressed. "I just didn't-"

"You told me you'd slept with a Carla, Sara and Allison," she recited, ticking names off with her fingers before folding her arms over her chest. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember hearing you say Santana was someone you'd slept with. Was tonight a booty call? Because I didn't think most agents stopped by player's houses this late at night."

"It wasn't a booty call! She's not interested in me like that and I'm not interested in her!"

"How do you know that?" Rachel shot back as she shoved the drawer closed, not noticing that she left a bra hanging half in the drawer and half out.

"Trust me. She's not." He watched her stomp into the closet, disappearing for a minute before she came back out, her arms full of clothes.

"Oh please. How could she not be?" Rachel snarked, dumping the clothes into her suitcase.

He rolled his eyes. "Because she doesn't like guys, ok?"

"_She's _the lesbian you slept with?" she said, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I didn't know she was a lesbian when I slept with her!" he defended. "I mean, she'd already slept with Puck-"

Rachel's hand shot out in front of her to stop his tirade. "She slept with Noah? You slept with a friend's ex?"

"She wasn't his ex-they'd just hooked up a few of times," he explained. "And it was just one time with me, well two if you count the shower."

"The shower?" she repeated hollowly, remembering how much fun she'd had with Finn in the shower and immediately wondering if he'd use those same moves with Santana.

"But the shower doesn't count-it was just oral," he amended hastily. "And crappy oral at that."

She stayed silent, clearly waiting for him to continue. When he continued to say nothing, she moved back to the bed, shifting the clothes in the suitcase to make room for the rest of her things.

"It was at a party my frat threw," he blurted out, moving to join her by the bed. Noticing she had stopped moving things around in the suitcase he continued. "We were both drunk and one thing led to another."

Her fingers clenched on one of his shirts that she'd accidentally packed. "Were you drunk in the shower too?"

"No," he said quickly, reaching out to take the t-shirt from her hands. "She joined me in the shower to see if I was as awful as she remembered." He walked to the dresser and put the t-shirt back into her drawer. "I must've finished her off because after that, she only slept with girls."

"You're not awful," Rachel said quietly. "I just don't understand why you didn't tell me."

"I was afraid you'd get hung up on the Santananess of it all," he explained cautiously, reaching back into the suitcase and pulling out more clothes. When she made no move to stop him, he placed the items back in the closet. "She's a friend and my agent, Rachel. Nothing more." He took a step towards her, cautiously reaching out to touch her hand.

"But it did matter," she whispered, allowing him to intertwine their fingers as she looked up at him. "I was blindsided by her Finn. You have this whole history that I didn't even know about."

"I'm sorry," he murmured, pulling her closer. "I promise you there's no one else in my past, lesbian or otherwise."

She wrapped her arms around his waist. "She kept making those inside jokes-"

"Insults you mean. She wasn't joking." He pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Why do you let her talk to you like that?"

"That's how she talks to everyone-she even calls Sam Trouty Mouth-"

"Wait, she's Sam's agent too?" she asked, surprised Santana would represent so many players on one team.

"No. Which just goes to show she talks about everybody like that," Finn explained, rubbing his hand down her back.

"Plus she kept talking all about your bonuses and how much you're worth," she said, looking up at him, her eyes worried. "I'm not with you because of that, you know."

"I know." He looked down at her, giving her a small smile. "I don't care what she thinks, Dee. I know why you're with me."

"You do?" Rachel asked, wondering if he'd heard her explaining to Santana.

"Uh huh," he replied, his tone taking on a teasing tone. "It's because I'm super cuddly right?"

She squeezed her arms around him once. "You are super cuddly," she admitted.

"And it's cuddle night," he reminded her with a glance at the clock.

"It is."

"So will you stay?" he asked quietly, his eyes darting to the open suitcase.

Stepping out of his arms she reached over towards the suitcase, picking up a handful of lingerie. Wordlessly she walked to the dresser and placed the lingerie back in its drawer.

Eager to help her finish, Finn reached into the suitcase and pulled out the remaining clothes, handing them to her to put away. He moved her suitcase back into the closet as she closed the dresser drawers. Walking back to the bed, he peeled back the covers and slid under the covers, his arm stretched over her pillow in invitation. "Come here."

Rachel joined him, slipping into the bed and resting her head against his chest. His arm immediately wrapped around her shoulders while she settled hers over his stomach, her left leg nestled between his. "I'm sorry I overreacted," she murmured against his chest as he reached over and turned off the light.

Finn ran his fingers over her arm. "Well I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

"I think we missed part of our apologies," she said idly. "The part where we-"

"Kiss?" He tucked his right hand under her chin, lifting her face to his and settling his lips over hers in a soft kiss.

She sighed and parted her lips, her tongue darting out to seek his while her hand tangled in his hair. Her head tipped back automatically as he pulled his lips from hers, trailing a row of kisses down her throat. She felt him nip at her collarbone and shifted back. "Baby, no."

Finn lifted his head. "But it's the rules," he enticed, his hand slipping under her tank top to cup her breast. "We kiss and have hot make up sex."

"We can't." Her thumb rubbed his cheek softly.

"But it's the rules. Any fight and apology needs to be followed immediately by hot make up sex." He lowered his head, sucking on her shoulder as his hand played with her breast.

"No hot make up sex." She sighed, moving his hand to her stomach. "Remember?"

"I forgot," he admitted, shifting his hand to rest on her hip.

She rested her forehead against his. "I promise, hot make up sex soon. Or better yet, hotter makeup sex to make up for the hot make up sex we missed. That sound good?"

He smirked, pressing his lips to hers quickly. "I'll hold you to it."

"I don't doubt that." She giggled, running her leg along his. "Maybe you should start planning."

"I'm on it." His brain furiously thinking of new sex positions and places, he shifted onto his back, cuddling her to him again. "Now go to sleep. You have a big performance tomorrow."

"Mmm. What if I said I just wanted to stay and cuddle with you?" She wrapped her arm around him, nuzzling his chest.

"I'm not taking on Sue, so we'll cuddle after," he decided, his fingers grazing her back.

"Are you at least going to watch?" Her eyes closed as she got comfortable against him.

"Of course. It'll be on at the stadium and I have the DVR set here," he promised. "Will wants us to watch it as a team to get pumped up."

"I'll be dancing for you, you know," she murmured, her voice sleepy.

"I know," he replied. "And I love that."

He rubbed her back until the sounds of her even breathing hit his ears. The easy sound lulled him to sleep, his last conscious thought being that while he loved the fact she was dancing just for him, he loved her even more.

* * *

Their Times Square performance complete, Rachel followed Quinn into the dressing rooms to change, quickly pulling her team track suit from her garment bag. She stepped out of her costume and hung it in the garment bag before pulling on the black and green track suit, the words _Flight Crew_ spelled out in rhinestones across the back to match her rhinestone studded name on the front.

"I can't believe Sue didn't say anything about the routine yet," she said as she zipped her jacket, turning to face Quinn and nodding at Sue who was standing in the corner with a stopwatch. "I mean, she always has _something_ to say."

"I'm sure she'll say something," Quinn replied as she pulled her hair out of the collar of her own team jacket, dropping it over her shoulders. "She has the entire bus ride back to the stadium to critique us."

Rachel dug through her purse and pulled out her cell phone, a smile playing over her lips as she saw a text from Finn. She replied quickly and put the phone in her pocket so she wouldn't be searching for it on the bus. She folded her garment bag over her arm and put her purse over her shoulder. "Don't remind me. Can we please not sit right up front? I don't need her breathing down on me the whole way back."

"Oh please," Quinn laughed. "You just want to sit in the back so you can text him without Sue seeing."

"I didn't say that," Rachel denied even as her phone beeped, signaling another incoming text.

"You didn't have to-you're so obvious. You're going to have to work on that if you want to keep this quiet," Quinn mused with a secret smile as she started walking from the room back to the team bus, her pink suitcase following behind her.

Instantly reminded of Santana's words about Puck having more practice keeping things quiet, Rachel hurried to catch up to Quinn, ready to pounce on the opportunity to get her to admit she was dating Noah. "You're awfully full of tips lately about keeping relationships quiet," she mused as she caught up to Quinn, busy handing her garment bag and suitcase to Becky.

"It's common sense, Rachel," she replied, waiting for Rachel to give Becky her own garment bag and suitcase before stepping on the bus.

"Still. You're-" Rachel began as she climbed the steps. She hesitated for a moment as she saw Jesse St. James sitting in the front row of seats checking something on his Blackberry. With the briefest of frowns she followed Quinn down the aisle way, hoping Jesse wasn't there because she and Finn had somehow been caught.

"What's he doing here?" Rachel whispered as she took the seat next to Quinn in the back of the bus, setting her purse down and pulling her phone from her pocket.

"Who?" Quinn asked, checking her own phone.

"Jesse St. James," she replied with a roll of her eyes as other members of the Crew began piling on the bus. She smiled as Brittany took the seat across the aisle from them and laughed to herself when Holly wound up sitting up front behind where Sue would be sitting.

"I don't know, we aren't supposed to have our meeting with him until later."

"Listen up ladies," Sue barked into her megaphone as she entered the bus. "Due to the crap you ladies called a performance just now, there's been a change of plans. Normally, I wouldn't let anyone associated with the football team on the bus but since you couldn't suck any more, I decided to have Sandy's little boy toy give you _the annual stay away from the failures Schuester calls a football team_ speech to remind you all of the consequences of breaking any clause of your contract while we drive back. That way practice will continue, uninterrupted, until you losers get it right for Sunday's game."

With that, the bus started and Jesse turned to face the girls, holding onto the edge of the seat as he stood and began reading through the various clauses of the Crew's contract. "We'll start at the beginning. The practice schedule shall be as follows. During the season, Monday through Friday 10 am to 5 pm, unless otherwise specified by Sue."

Bored already and only half listening to Jesse cover the basic schedule, Rachel felt her phone buzz in her hand and she peered down at it, smiling when she saw Finn's text.

_**You were the best one out there baby. I liked the song too, even if it wasn't my touchdown song ;)**_

She began typing back, moving the phone slightly as Quinn started to peek over her shoulder. "What?"

"Nothing," Quinn said, making no attempt to pull back. "Sue actually considered your replacement song you know."

"_Extra practices will be held at the discretion of one Sue Sylvester and will be mandatory. Absence from an extra practice or a scheduled practice will result in automatic suspension from one performance-" _

"She did?" Rachel beamed before frowning as she sent her reply text. "Wait, why would she consider it if she was looking for awful songs? I suggested a good song!"

"I agree it was a good song, she thought it was whiny."

"It's not whiny," she denied hotly, looking up to the front of the bus as Jesse brought up the rules about dating members of the team. She kept her attention on Jesse she crossed her arms, wishing she'd told Santana all of the consequences she potentially faced.

"_Dating one of the members of the Jets team is grounds for automatic suspension from the Crew. Length of suspension is determined by-" _

"You're already sleeping with Finn, so this whole speech doesn't even matter." Quinn chuckled under her breath, checking her twitter app instead of paying attention.

"That why you're paying such close attention? Because it doesn't matter to you either?" Rachel whispered back, trying to see if Quinn would admit the speech was pointless for her too since she was dating Noah.

Quinn just rolled her eyes in response. "I've just heard it a million times is all since Sue insists on having him say it before the start of every season."

"I'm sure the guys feel the same way," Rachel agreed. "Especially the ones who've heard it a lot too-like Noah. He's had to have heard the speech for what, five seasons now?"

"The guys don't get the lecture again," Quinn told her. "Coach Schue doesn't make them sit through it again."

"_Moving on to diet and nutrition. Each member of the Crew hereby agrees to be weighed weekly. The numbers from each weigh in will be recorded and kept by Sue Sylvester or in her absence Becky Jackson. Any fluctuation in weight of more than a pound will result in…" _

"Oh are you sure? I thought Finn said they had a meeting today too?"

"They do, but just not about this. Something about press interviews in the locker room."

"Really? How do you know that?"

"Captain's meeting," Quinn replied with a smirk.

"You know, you never used to have these captain's meetings," Rachel said slyly, texting Finn to see what his meeting was really about. "Who goes to those again?"

Quinn stared at her. "The captains. So me and Puckerman."

"_Each Crew member will arrive approximately four hours before kick off. Crew members will be assigned on a rotating basis for performances in the parking lot stage and in and around the stadium at the discretion of Sue and Mr. Ryerson. Failure to arrive four hours early will…"_

"Sue doesn't ever go? Or Will, or-"

"Nobody else goes to the captain's meetings, Rach." Quinn replied with a knowing smile.

"You started those when? Last year?" Rachel ventured, trying to piece together the timeline of Quinn and Noah's relationship.

"Yep. Those meetings are why we got the confetti cannons," she smirked.

"Oh?" Feeling her phone buzz, Rachel immediately pressed view to see Finn's latest message.

_**Locker room etiquette for when press is in here. Want me to pick up dinner on the way home?**_

Ignoring Quinn's blatant text dropping, Rachel texted back.

_**I can pick it up; I'll probably be done after you. XO**_

"You've been spending a lot of time there the past couple of weeks."

"You think I should limit it? To say like Tuesday nights and Friday nights?" Rachel asked innocently, assuming those were the days Quinn and Noah spent together.

"Well those are good days," Quinn admitted. "Sue doesn't ever do random checks those days since she makes her jazzercise videos those days."

"That why you have ceramics and hot yoga then?" she asked, smiling widely at Quinn's nod. "I still want to try that hot yoga-"

"It's more of a one on one class," Quinn explained vaguely. "Besides, you're still in the honeymoon stage of your relationship-"

"Actually we had our first argument yesterday," Rachel interjected.

"I told you in high school and I'll tell you again. Arguing over who likes who more is not an argument Rachel."

"It wasn't over that!" Rachel said quickly.

"No?"

"No, his agent stopped by and found me on the couch-"

"She walked in on you two having sex?"

_Any changes in appearance must be approved by Sue. This includes, but is not limited to; haircuts, colors and styles, piercings and tattoos-"_

"No!" Rachel cried out loudly before she could stop herself, causing Jesse to stop talking.

"You got a problem with the rules Berry?" Sue shouted into the bullhorn. "Let me guess. You were secretly going to get a tramp stamp and thought I wouldn't know?"

"No, Coach," she muttered, her face scarlet.

"I didn't think so," she barked before lowering the bullhorn.

Quinn tried to stifle her laughter. "So, she walked in on you and…" she prompted in a whisper.

"We were sitting on the couch watching TV when she came over for some contracts. She was insulting and rude, plus she basically told me that my relationship with Finn was done. But I stood up to her."

"_Miscellaneous items. No Crew member shall use their official performance gear, warmups or tracksuit for any other occasion than practice or performance."_

"You stood up to Santana? I would have liked to have seen that," Quinn mused with a shake of her head.

"I did-but she had it coming," Rachel insisted quietly. A slow smile spread on her face. "Wait. How'd you know her name?"

Quinn shrugged. "She's Puckerman's agent, too. He mentioned it during one of our meetings. So that was your argument? Because that wasn't even with him, so that doesn't count."

"No, we fought because he didn't tell me he'd slept with her."

"He slept with her? I thought she was a lesbian?" Quinn murmured in surprise, texting Puck to see if he knew that.

"She is, but he didn't know it at the time he says, especially since she'd already slept with Noah-"

"She slept with Puck? When was this?" Quinn questioned, her eyes narrowed on Rachel's face as she ignored her own incoming texts.

Rachel fought to keep the grin off of her face, knowing she had Quinn's full attention. "He didn't tell you in your captain meetings?" she asked innocently.

"No," Quinn frowned, looking down at her phone and hurriedly pressing buttons.

"What difference does it make if she slept with Noah? I was more concerned about her-"

"The difference is that we talked about all the people we've been with and oddly she never came up."

"Talking about past relationships was part of your captain meetings?" Rachel asked innocently, quickly texting Finn that Quinn was on the verge of breaking.

"It's common courtesy when you're dating-" Quinn huffed in annoyance.

Rachel bounced in her seat as she turned to face Quinn, leaning in close. "Dating? Are you saying you're dating Noah?"

Quinn heaved a sigh, knowing she was caught. "Yes, I'm-"

"I knew it!" Rachel quickly texted Finn the news before looking back up at Quinn.

"Really? You knew? Since when?"

"I figured it out when we watched the game with Kurt and Carole," she explained, trying to keep her voice down.

"That's when you figured it out?" Quinn said with a shake of her head, wondering how she'd given it away.

"Yes, though why you'd date him is behind me-he's so rude," Rachel continued, covering her mouth to stifle her laughter at Finn's reply text.

_**Really? And I just threatened to shave his Mohawk if he didn't tell me who he was taking those yoga classes with. X**_

"He's not always rude. And what are you laughing at?" Quinn asked, glancing over at Rachel's phone and rolling her eyes at Finn's text. "Seriously? He'd never let him do that-it's his good luck charm."

"You're telling me that the man who makes rookies dress up in costume as part of their media hazing isn't always rude? He has a nice side?"

The bus came to a stop in front of the stadium as Quinn answered. "Well why don't you see for yourself? We'll double. You can choose the date."

"Really? We do anything?" Rachel stipulated, her mind running wild with ideas as she stood up, waiting for the seats in front of her to exit the bus so she could proceed down the aisle.

"We're not doing ceramics at Color Me Crazy," Quinn warned, correctly reading her mind.

"I wasn't thinking of ceramics!" Rachel huffed, even though that had been her first idea. "What about-"

"And nothing public," she reminded her as the others walked ahead, leaving the two of them behind.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Why don't we just have game night at my apartment Friday night?"

"They have another away game next Sunday, but they aren't leaving until Saturday I think so that should work."

"Perfect," Rachel smiled as she looped her arm through Quinn's and walked towards the stadium entrance, her mind already planning next Friday's activities. "So when did all this start?"

Quinn pushed opened the door to the stadium and started down the hall towards the locker room. "Um, last year," she said quickly.

"Last year? How did I not see this sooner?" Rachel demanded, her mind trying to think of clues she'd potentially missed.

"You were too busy doing a poor job of trying not to look at certain people," Quinn shot back trying to deflect back to Rachel and Finn's relationship instead of her own as she entered the locker room. "Just like he was too busy staring at your picture-"

"Who was staring at whose picture?" Holly asked, butting into the conversation. "Oooo, Rachel did you finally take my advice and take water boy to the mall and use a photobooth?"

"No," Rachel cried out, tossing her bag into her locker and changing into her practice clothes.

"You should-trust me, he'd love it." Holly smirked and pulled her hair into a high ponytail before grabbing her practice poms. "Better hurry and change, Sue wants us on the field in five-wouldn't want you to have to do the special for being late Rachel."

Ignoring her as she walked out the door, Rachel turned to Quinn. "Quinn, how did you know he was staring at my picture?"

Quinn smirked. "Hmmm, you mean the one hanging where I told to check for his cup?"

"You knew!" she squealed, slapping at the other girl's arm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have believed me?" Quinn countered, grabbing her own practice poms.

Rachel paused as she thought, slowly shaking her head. "Well no. But still…Wait! How did you know?"

"Captain's meeting," Quinn singsonged before heading out the door, a smug smile across her face.

Rachel watched her go, wondering what else Quinn had learned from her so called captain's meetings. She bit her lip as she pondered texting Finn to see if Noah had said anything yet but the sound of Sue's voice yelling into her bullhorn in the hallway prompted her to grab her poms instead and run from the locker room down the hall towards the field, making it into formation with seconds to spare.

Practice couldn't end fast enough.

* * *

The locker room oozed with excitement as the team readied for their first regular season home game. While everyone else finished their last minute preparations, from putting on their eye black to putting their uniform over their pads, Finn sat quietly in front of his locker tying his cleats and waiting for the other guys to leave.

"You ready to kick some ass?" Puck asked with a light punch to Finn's arm.

"Hell yeah I am." He grinned, fist bumping Puck.

"Hope you got to meditate some last night to clear your head," he snickered, reaching into his locker for his wristband.

"I meditated. Twice." Finn smirked, remembering how he and Rachel had meditated in the bathtub, putting the vibrating water to good use. "You have an extra hot yoga class to get you loose?"

Sam piped in from the other side of Finn. "You're doing yoga now Puckerman?"

"Every Friday," Finn answered slyly.

"How did I not know about this? My gym has a great yoga class, you should try it sometime."

"I'll keep it in mind," Puck replied smoothly, ignoring Finn's snickering. "But enough about yoga, we've got a game to play." He stood and ran his hands over his Mohawk once before jumping up onto the bench and calling out to the rest of the team. "Let's kick some Texan ass boys!"

As the team emptied out behind Puck, Finn stood up and grabbed his jersey hastily pulling it on before moving back the practice jersey to look at Rachel's picture. His lips twitched into a half smile as he stared at her smiling confidently back out at him. His mind reflected over the moments leading up to this, hardly believing everything that had happened in the past two months. He so badly wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless, but since he was unable actually do that before the game, he quickly tapped his fingers against his lips and laid them against hers in the picture before heading out to join the rest of the team in the tunnel.

The men were all jumping back and forth, getting more and more pumped up with each step. Finn pushed his way to the front with Puck and grinned moments before they ran out onto the field. The lights were bright and the music was loud but the crowd that had already gathered roared over it as they took the field to warm up. Finn looked over to where he knew his family was sitting and waved a hand up at his mom as she shook a sign. He rolled his eyes as Sandy waved back from where he was standing close to his parents, apparently escorting two men to their seats. With one last look at his family, he started running down the sideline to catch up to the rest of the team.

Finn's eyes were trained on the field as he ran, trying to discreetly locate Rachel as she performed in the Crew's pregame routine. It was only a moment before he spotted her and his heart rate quickly accelerated at the sight of her clad in the very uniform he'd first seen her in. He grinned beneath his helmet and continued to run downfield starting to lightly warm his muscles while the Crew finished their routine, jumping up from their ending pose when the music ended. Watching her as she went to the water table, he ran further down the sideline closer to the water table in an attempt to get her attention. He passed her as he ran up the sidelines and had to fight the urge to pick her and toss her over his shoulder and take her back to the locker room. Instead, he jogged backwards again past her, trying to figure out a way to talk to her without looking suspicious.

"Go JETS," he called out, as the Crew moved to their yard lines to beginning cheering, with Rachel standing on the 40 yard line, ten yards away from the next Crew member. He noticed Sam tying his shoe over by the bench and at his next pass by Rachel dropped to his knee in front of her and pretended to tie his shoe.

"Go JETS," he yelled a little louder, finally catching her attention as he stood back up, his lips quirking into a smile.

Her smile widened while she continued to cheer, staring straight at him for a second. "Break a leg."

His heart raced as he took her in and the words fell from his mouth, unable to be contained any longer. "I love you."

Rachel's hands fell to her side as her mouth dropped into a startled 'O' as she processed what he'd said. Before she could respond, he was already jogging backwards with a grin on his face as he looked at her now stunned face. His heel caught on the ground and sent him sprawling on his ass, his momentum propelling him into a backwards somersault. Pushing himself back to a standing position he glanced back over at her, shrugging as she buried her face in her pompoms.

He grinned as he jogged away. In spite of the fact that his fall was being shown on the jumbo-tron and was probably already being uploaded to YouTube by Kurt, he had a feeling tonight was going to be a good night.

And it was. The game flew by in a blur and before he knew it, Finn was being interviewed in the locker room about the Jets impressive 34-7 win over the Texans. "Yeah coach was calling some great plays today. All those new plays he designed worked well."

Finn stared at the group assembled in front of him, hoping the reporters were out of questions. All he wanted to do was end these stupid interviews and talk to Rachel. He hadn't meant to blurt out his feelings like that right before a game but he just couldn't hold it in anymore. Judging from the smile she'd given him, he had a feeling she felt the same way. Feeling desperate to leave he caught Puck's eye, hoping that the quarterback would pick up on his subtle head jerk towards the door and divert the reporter's attention so Finn could leave.

Puck, always willing to talk to the media, yelled out, "Ok guys, this is your lucky day. Turns out the MVP of tonight's game is in the mood to answer another round of questions; who's in?" He leaned against the trainer's table, forcing the reporters to come to him for questions.

Finn shot him a grateful smile before grabbing his bag and sneaking out the door. He signed autographs for the fans waiting by the entrance, relieved when Karofsky came out and the fans attention shifted to him. Escaping to the parking lot, he pulled out his phone on the way to his car, sending off a quick text.

_****Hey baby, I'm on my way home, see you soon****_

He pressed send and climbed into his car, not surprised when his phone signaled an incoming message.

_** **can't wait Xx****_

With a grin he started the car and headed home, anxious to see her again. Most of the traffic had cleared and he made the drive relatively quickly, his excitement growing each mile closer to his house. He pulled into his driveway and parked next to her car, feeling excited and anxious to see her all at once. He called out her name as he set his keys on the counter. "Rach? Baby where are you?"

Receiving no response, he made his way down the hall towards the bedroom, hoping to find her there. The door was slightly ajar and he pushed it open to see Rachel, clad in a white corset trimmed in pink and matching ruffled mini skirt, folding back his bedspread.

"Rach?" he whispered, his eyes scanned over the room taking in the various candles she'd scattered throughout the bedroom.

She shot straight up. "Finn! I didn't hear you come in! Turn around!"

"Seriously?" he asked, already loosening his tie.

"I'm dead serious. Turn around."

"Fine. I'll turn around." Obediently he turned around, pulling his tie off and letting it fall to the ground, his jacket immediately following. He unbuttoned the cuffs on his sleeves and began to unbutton his shirt, pulling it from the waistband of his pants as he waited for her to say he could join her.

She dove onto the bed, trying to get into a sultry position. Satisfied once she stretched on her side and propped her head on her elbow, she glanced at Finn, who was still facing the hall as he removed his shoes and socks. "Ok you can turn around now."

He turned around, grinning at her new position as he took a few steps towards the bed. "Baby you look-"

"Wait! Turn around again!" Rachel cried. Her eyes had been glancing anxiously around the room pleased with how everything looked until she'd looked down at herself and realized she still had her slippers on.

His eyebrow cocked as he tilted his head to gaze at her. "Why?"

"I'm not ready!" she replied, mortified that she still had her slippers on. "Now turn!"

She hastily kicked them under the bed as he turned with a shake of his head. He waited patiently, dropping his dress shirt to the floor to join his other clothes.

Freed of the offending slippers, she reclined against the pillows and said sulkily, "Ok, you can turn around now."

He turned and drank in the sight of her sprawled on his bed, her face set in a small pout. He smiled at her and walked over to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love your pout baby," he said as he pulled away.

"I just wanted tonight to be special," she pouted as she wound her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her.

"Every time with you is special," he promised, giving her lips a soft kiss before trailing his lips up to her ear. "Know why?"

"Why?" she asked with a smile as she closed her eyes, knowing the reason but wanting to hear him say the words again.

"Open your eyes, Rachel." He nuzzled his nose against hers as he waited for her eyes to open. When she complied he looked straight into her sparkling eyes. "Because I love you."

Her smile grew wider as he lowered his lips to hers. She threaded her fingers through his hair as she returned his tender kiss, allowing herself to bask in the knowledge that he loved her. She pulled away after a moment, her fingers playing with his hair. "Finn?"

"Yeah?" he asked as he pressed up on his forearms to study her face.

"I love you too." She brought his mouth back to hers and locked her hands behind his neck, holding him close to her as they kissed. Her senses felt incredibly heightened as she tried to commit every moment, every kiss and touch that was happening to memory.

Not wanting to break the kiss, Finn shifted onto his side, pulling her close to him as his hands began to gently run over her. His fingers toyed with the satin laces of the corset, tracing over the crisscrossing pattern before coming to rest on the bow above her rear. "Why haven't I seen this lingerie before?" he murmured, his fingers grazing her back.

"I bought it today," she breathed as his lips ghosted along her collarbone and moved lower to kiss and suck on the swell of her breasts poking out above the corset. He lingered there a moment, his tongue slipping out to run along the edge of the corset as she squirmed against him. "Just for you."

"It's fucking hot." He nibbled on her lips as he tugged lightly on the bow to open it, allowing the straps to loosen so his hand could slip under the fabric to stroke the soft skin of her bare back before dipping lower, teasing along the edge of her tiny skirt. "But I think this needs to go."

"Finn," she moaned breathily, her back arching as he slid off the little skirt.

"Fuck baby," he groaned, surprised by the miniscule matching thong he found residing under her skirt once he pulled it off. "So fucking hot."

"_Finn_…" Her fingers slid to his shoulders, gripping the material of the t-shirt he still had on when his mouth closed over her already hardened nipple, still covered by the corset. Wanting to feel his bare skin pressed against hers she pushed at his shoulder, trying to pull his shirt off.

Sensing what she wanted, he lifted his head, pressing his lips back to her while his fingers moved from her back to hold her hand. Lips still attached, he intertwined their fingers and pushed himself up to his knees, pulling her up to a kneeling position with him before he breaking the kiss and shrugging out of his shirt, tossing it to the floor behind him. Shirtless, he reached for her, watching as she shimmied out of her corset. He ran his hands up the sides of her body, his fingers playing with the straps of her thong. "Fuck baby," he groaned, his hands snaking behind her to cup her ass, yanking her closer to him.

Rachel's hands flew to his shoulders for balance as their lips met, her breath hitching when he moved his right hand from her ass to her core. Her knees parted slightly more as he moved the satin of the thong aside to caress her already slick folds, her nails digging into his shoulders while her breasts pressed into his chest. Her hips bucked as one finger slipped inside her, causing her head to drop back on a moan. "I love how you touch me."

"Well I love to touch you." He slipped another finger into her, his smile growing wider as she moaned again. He laid her back down against the pillows, his body covering hers as he again claimed her lips before kissing his way down to her right breast, suckling the soft skin gently while his hand cupped her left breast, his thumb grazing her stiff peak.

_"Oooh."_ She arched her back as his mouth closed over her nipple and gently tugged. She felt a corresponding tug from deep in her belly and her hips rose up to meet his, wanting to feel him completely. Her hands slid down his back and her nails bit into his skin before lightly scraping him. Her hands came to his front and she teased along his length through his pants, popping the button. "Finn, baby…"

He sat up, hissing as she came up on her elbows to unzip them, her fingers grazing over his rock hard erection before she laid back down, waiting for him to finish undressing. He kicked off his pants and boxers and set his hands back on her hips, dragging her satin thong down her legs and tossing it behind him. Slowly he walked his fingers up her legs, loving the way she writhed beneath him.

"_Finn_," she half whined, half moaned, her hands reaching up to pull him back down to her.

He laid down on his side next to her, his fingers curled into her hip as she rolled to face him. Moving his hand to cup the back of her thigh, he lifted her leg and placed it over his hip, allowing his arousal to brush against her. Unable to resist any longer he gripped his arousal and skimmed it over her center, capturing her lips with his as he entered her slowly.

"Baby," she breathed, her head falling back as his lips left hers, pressing soft kisses along her jaw. She wrapped her arms around him as they moved, loving how close she felt to him right now. His heart was racing against her chest and she knew hers was matching it beat for beat.

Rachel moaned into his mouth, her hand again fisting in his hair as she swiveled her hips against his. He groaned at the sensation, kissing her more forcefully as the speed of their movements increased. Her whimpers soon turned to full blown screams as they progressed, each getting closer to their climax.

His lips found hers again as his hand slipped between their bodies, wanting to feel her to come undone for him. His hand worked feverishly as her movements became faster, feeling her tighten around him as she climaxed. With a strangled groan he found his own release, holding her close as he spilled inside her. Cradling her head to his shoulder, he pressed a kiss to her hair. "I love you."

"I love you too," she murmured, smiling against his shoulder as his hands stroked her back, instantly relaxing her as she tilted her head up to look at him. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before the game."

"This was perfect," he murmured. "I would have been home sooner but I had to give some interviews-"

"They interviewed you?" she asked excitedly, sitting up abruptly, actually bumping into his chin in the process. Her face immediately became pouty. "Ouch."

He placed a kiss against the injured spot. "There. All better."

"Turn on the TV," she demanded while rubbing her head.

"I'm sure they'll show it tomorrow," he said as he peppered her neck with kisses. "Let's celebrate more."

"Finn," she whined, trying not to succumb to his kiss. She turned her head and glanced at the clock. "It's just in time for the sports segment, please?" She pulled away, giving him her always effective pout.

He pulled back and looked at her suspiciously. "You know when the sports segment is on?"

"I just wanna see the man I love talk," she answered, ignoring his question and blushing slightly under his gaze. "Please?"

"Fine," he groaned, reaching over to the nightstand for the TV remote. Turning it on, he sat up against the headboard and pulled her into his lap, his legs opening so hers could settle between them as he wrapped his arms around her stomach and kissed her neck, ignoring the TV.

"Thank you baby," she said sweetly, tilting her head automatically to give him better access. "Now, who interviewed you? ESPN? Someone local?"

"Both," he muttered against her skin. "I had to talk to that same ass you did. He's doing a segment for his show this week. I barely resisted the urge to punch him for groping you."

"Ooo, you got to talk to Rod too!" Rachel exclaimed excitedly, her ass subtly shifting in his lap as she watched him come onto the TV screen. "There you are! Turn it up!"

He lifted his head momentarily to find the remote next to him, turning up the volume before tossing the remote back onto the bed. Having no desire to hear himself talk, he instead began placing random kisses across the back of her shoulders.

"Finny, stop," she said, trying to focus on the TV as Rod began to talk. Her insistence he stop was futile, since she moaned slightly as she felt him kiss more forcefully, nipping and sucking on her skin. She bit her lip to keep from moaning louder as the show went to a clip of Finn warming up before leaning forward with a quick cry, detaching her skin from his lips.

"Look!" she said excitedly as she pointed to the screen, her core now pressing against his growing arousal. "It's our moment!"

He looked up at the screen, his mouth still attached to her skin, just in time to see the clip of himself falling over. "My falling over is our moment?" he pouted at her while listening to Rod comment about the fact that even though he couldn't stay upright in warm-ups Finn had a good game.

"Not our moment exactly," she conceded with a small smile. "Rewind that please?"

"No," he told her firmly, his hand stroking the inside of her thigh. "You got to see it once."

She narrowed her eyes and turned her face to him as she considered, opening her legs a little wider. "Well then can we watch ESPN?"

"No," he said, turning off the TV before beginning to kiss along her neck again, scooting further down the bed away from the headboard, his hands resting on her stomach to keep her in place on his lap.

"But they might have _**the**_ moment," she pouted before moaning as his hand dipped between her legs and started stroking her. 'Wanting more, she tried to open her legs more to him, groaning in frustration as they hit his.

"Which moment?" he murmured, easing a finger inside of her as his left hand swept up her body to cup her breast. His hands moved in tandem, making her moan and writhe against him.

"When you first said it," she whimpered, bending her legs up and setting them outside of his outstretched ones, essentially kneeling over his lap. She leaned back against his chest, one head reaching up behind her to rest on his neck.

"Said what baby?" He added another finger to the first, curling them inside her before withdrawing them, the urge to be inside her overwhelming him.

"I love you," she murmured, reaching between them to guide his erection into her, teasing them both as she sank down slowly.

"I love you too." His hands cupped her breasts to hold her against him as he lay back on the bed. She sighed as he fondled her, the fact that she was resting against his chest allowing him free access to her body. "Oh _Finn_."

He turned his head to kiss her when she laid her head against his shoulder. One hand left her breast, roaming over her body as she ground against him. His tongue slipped into her mouth, exploring the crevices.

"Oh _God_!" she cried out, tearing her lips from his as his right hand slid low on her belly, circling her belly button before drifting lower to find her sensitive bundle of nerves. She clenched the sheet as his left hand worked her breast, causing her movements to become more erratic as she neared her climax. _"Baby! Yes!"_

He bent his legs, lifting her lower half from the bed as he thrust up inside her, his pace quickening as she began to scream his name. "Come baby, come for me."

"_Finn!"_ she screamed, her body tensing as she climaxed, his fingers continuing to stroke her, prolonging her pleasure as he thrust inside her twice more before coming undone himself.

"Fuck,_ Rachel_!" he breathed out after his orgasm subsided, feeling her relax and shiver against him.

Breathing heavy, she brought her arm up to rest against his head, making no move to disconnect herself from him. Her head turned towards his as she smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Not wanting her to be uncomfortable he lifted her lower body again, pulling out of her and laying her back on her side. Cradling her head to his shoulder, he dropped a kiss against her hair. "Say it again."

"I." She pecked his lips. "Love." Another peck. "You." Her third kiss was slightly longer before she pulled away with a yawn. She shifted, scooting down to get under the covers. "Cuddle?"

"Of course," he replied, pulling her body back to spoon her. Feeling the day begin to catch up with him, he closed his eyes and relaxed.

"Finn?" She pulled his arm tighter around her as she waited for him to answer.

"Yes, Dee?" he yawned.

"We'll watch ESPN tomorrow."

Resigned, he shook his head in the dark and squeezed her close. "Ok."

Rachel smiled into the dark as she laced her fingers through his. Secure in his arms, her eyes drifted closed and she fell into a contented sleep.

He held her close, placing a kiss against her neck. "I love you," he murmured against her skin. He placed another kiss on her neck before he settled back against his pillow, his mind whirling.

Two months.

Sure, it took him two months to actually say the words I love you out loud to her but it had taken him much less time than two months to know that he loved her. Just like he knew something else he wasn't quite ready to let her know about.

He was going to marry her.

* * *

**A/N: I swear my hubby and I have the conversation about **_**Person of Interest**_** every weekend since he can't watch on Thursday's because it's on when **_**Glee **_**is. A million thanks to the brilliant mida212 for putting up with my whining :) Thanks so much for reading and please feel free to review!**


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